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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28115712">Castle of Cards</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/nyoengland/pseuds/nyoengland'>nyoengland</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Primary Suits [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hetalia: Axis Powers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cardverse, Coming of Age, Inspired by The Selection, Multi, Slow Burn, imported and improved from FFNet, long fic, mostly just the concept, sry if you're looking for just a straight retelling bc this one deviates so much lol</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:16:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>144,640</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28115712</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/nyoengland/pseuds/nyoengland</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Following tradition, Prince Alfred, heir to the Spades throne, must hold a Deciding to find a Queen and ensure that his battered kingdom can flourish once more. Arthur Kirkland, spurred on by dangerous secrets and a sense of responsibility, enters the palace with no expectations. Whatever peace either of them had found before, however, is slowly unravelled by their circumstances, the events that follow and most of all, each other.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>America/England (Hetalia), Canada/Prussia (Hetalia)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Primary Suits [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/418963</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>92</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>58</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Act 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Previously, I wanted to publish this work on AO3 for purely archival purposes, but then decided after re-examining the work that the earlier portions, which were written near 2016, desperately needed fixing and retconning as the work grew much, much larger than I initially anticipated</p><p>This fic is completed, hence the existing chapter count. I have rewritten a significant portion of the earlier chapters, however I will attempt to speed up publishing of the fic if there is enough interest. I am aware that the quality of writing may be varied, as this fic was written over a period of two years. </p><p>Sorry about the rambling! Hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Arthur peered out of the door of their small apartment, his eyes seeking out his roommate and giving a relieved sigh as Kiku's dark hair came over the rickety stairs that led to their housing facility.</p><p>"Have our recent test results come back yet?" Arthur called.</p><p>"Not yet," his best friend said curtly. "But there is something else that I think that you would wish to see."</p><p>"Did you use too much water again this month?" he asked in response, shuffling through the white envelopes.</p><p>"I will pay more in advance this time," Kiku replied, sounding embarrassed, but handed him a thick bundle of multicoloured envelopes. "But these are the ones that I would like to bring to your attention."</p><p>Arthur's mouth twisted into a frown when he took one of each colour, turning them over and over in his hands. The coarse surface was a lot different than the smooth ones that were the norm in Hearts, so that could mean one thing.</p><p>"Did the head mention something about them coming <em>this </em>early? They only gave us that lecture last week. Now we have to choose?"</p><p>"You may say that I have already made a decision." Kiku said as he beckoned Arthur back into their apartment and locked the door behind him.</p><p>"I'm guessing you talked with Heracles?" He put the rest of the letters onto their kitchen table as he turned the dingy living room light back on. "He did mention something about the Signing at lunch last week."</p><p>"Who else would I have discussed such a topic with? He recommended that I would stay in Hearts, because even though there is a tiny chance that I will join their Suit, I do not have to marry anyone in the end. Unfortunately, I doubt that would help his predicament, because the farthest I might get is a recommendation," Kiku sighed, his face shifting into a dejected expression.</p><p>The atmosphere turned quiet as Arthur shelled the papers out of the envelopes, examining each one with a serious expression. Each one provided a small overview of each of the current Primary Suit members for each kingdom and some basic information and what would be required of them. After a few moments, Kiku followed suit, the other boy deciding to go and prepare breakfast. All these difficult decisions called for a good, strong cup of tea.</p><p>"Did the head council mention anything about Diamonds this year? I know they are not hosting this time around, but…they hosted one last year and that certainly was not to gain a new member."</p><p>"Monetary problems." Arthur replied over a mouthful of scone. "They've been in a trade deficit recently, and that's why King Francis didn't say anything about it this time."</p><p>"Do you really think the king will publicly admit that his country is weak? I am guessing that Clubs are in a similar problem, but of course due to their king they will not talk."</p><p>"Is there anything else I need to know about the other kingdoms?"</p><p>"Well, Clubs are looking for their Ace and Spades and Hearts are both looking for their Queens. However, if I remember correctly, you will have to marry the crown prince if you are to apply for Spades."</p><p>"Oh?" Arthur said, taking another sip of his tea. "His name's…Alfred, if I remember correctly."</p><p>They hadn't had much interaction at all with either of the Primary Suits, especially for a group of people whose lives had been prepped up to this point in time to become part of them. Arthur could only remember one time when they were a lot younger and the holding facility was still located in Spades territory. The entire royal family had visited that time, but other from that and occasional television reports, those were the only memories he had.</p><p>"Arthur, I am not sure you understand the situation," Kiku pressed with an amused expression. "In order to compete in the Spades Deciding, you will be expected to attempt to romance the prince."</p><p>His expression paused for a moment, then he quickly scanned the letter that Kiku had in his hands.</p><p>
  <em>…this nature of the Deciding will be romantic, with the expectation of being able to be romantically interested in Prince Alfred. Most interactions will be expected to express romantic attraction, and it is discouraged if a participant's respects towards the prince are anything but a romantic nature…</em>
</p><p>"You're not making me do that!" Arthur protested, pushing the paper back onto the table. "<em>Respects </em>anything but <em>romantic</em>? I haven't even been involved with someone before!"</p><p>Kiku chuckled, putting down his cup. "I did ask whether you really did read the information before brushing it off."</p><p>"What, am I supposed to be a blushing teenager completely obsessed with him? I mean, I won't have the basis to hate him, but…!"</p><p>"Do you think that he would be so easy to dislike? This is an opportunity for you as well for him."</p><p>"Kiku, can't I join Hearts with you?" Arthur pleaded, running his hands through his hair. "Things like these usually don't end well."</p><p>His friend suddenly looked uncomfortable, and began to fidget nervously.</p><p>"Kiku, what's bothering you?"</p><p>"I…I have a big favour to ask of you," he said. "And well…let us just say that is the reason why I must ask you to join the Spades Deciding."</p><p>"Is it because of the alliance?" Arthur asked, to which Kiku nodded yes.</p><p>The kingdoms of Spades and Hearts had been aligned with each other since their creation and had held one of the longest trade and aid alliances. Only until recently had the two kingdoms resumed their military alliance over the long feud over two lands, and they were taking further steps to improve the status of their agreement.</p><p>"I am sure that whatever I will try to do to protect Heracles might not be enough if I apply for Hearts, it will not be much. But since Spades have an influence over Hearts, maybe someone from that kingdom may be able to influence them to at least send him home as soon as possible. It is the least I can do," Kiku said, but his expression was pleading. "It would mean the world to me, Arthur, if you signed up for not only his sake but yours. We <em>have </em>been preparing for this moment since we stepped into this facility, after all."</p><p>Arthur's gaze was lost as he nursed his cup, clearly deep in thought.</p><p>"But," Kiku sighed, shuffling around the room to get a pen, "If you are really against the idea, then I will sign up for Spades instead."</p><p>"That means you'll have to romance the prince instead! Don't you already love Heracles?" Arthur blurted, his gaze shooting up from the floor to his best friend.</p><p>"I would rather he be alive than me being content and him gone."</p><p>Silence filled the room for a few moments before Arthur exhaled and uncapped the lid of the pen. He didn't quite know what to say; even though he had been a third wheel for the pair for a long time there was such a strong devotion between the two that he couldn't help but admire. Why should he ask Kiku to give up their love, when there was clearly another option?</p><p>"Kiku…sign up for the Deciding in Hearts."</p><p>"What? Arthur, you know that I cannot sit back and do nothing for his situation-" he began, but Arthur shook his head, making him quiet.</p><p>"You're right," he said slowly. "We were trained to enter one, right? And if I don't…well, I won't fall in love with the prince, then I guess I should walk away with the fact that I've at least tried."</p><p>A small smile made it's way onto Kiku's mouth, and he nodded tightly.</p><p>"We should fill out the forms before we get too caught up."</p>
<hr/><p>"…for every week of your participation, you will be rewarded in a selection of ways-whether that be in monetary means given to you or other social favours…"</p><p>Arthur was slowly reading the letter aloud, skimming over the areas that had been already covered in the lecture they had the other day. But Kiku seemed to be reading another, smaller envelope-this time stained yellow. Kiku had taken a walk after their intense conversation, and so he had put off rereading the letter properly until the sun had began to dip underneath the towering tree in their compound.</p><p>"Anything interesting?"</p><p>"Oh, it is Matthew. He came in with the post," his friend replied. "There seems to be an issue with the new Deciding season."</p><p>"…has there been another issue? I thought the two of you were still talking."</p><p>"We are," Kiku said, keeping his voice down due to the substance of the conversation. "It's just that there seems to be added pressure for him to take in a companion by his advisership."</p><p>Arthur pulled his chair closer, whispering as he spoke.</p><p>"Is it about…Gilbert?"</p><p>Gilbert-or as everyone else in Cards knew him, the second Joker-had been romantically involved with the Ace of Spades since he turned sixteen.</p><p>Arthur wasn't aware of the fact that Kiku and Matthew had kept such close correspondence until last October, when he had come home late with cleaning up a table he had accidentally thrown a pair of scissors with his magic. He'd found the mail on a neat heap after Kiku had taken it in, and Matthew's lettering had not been enough to identify him but the palace issued stationery had been enough. The fact that he had become involved with the <em>Joker</em>, of all people, was baffling to Arthur since from reading the newspaper and occasionally watching the television Matthew seemed like a sensible person.</p><p>"It seems so. He is saying that he is expected to find a companionship…'very soon, as Yao fears that I may be lonely while Alfred and his bunch are visiting. Even more so when he chooses his Queen.' He apparently is asking for one of us to-oh, yes, that is correct."</p><p>"He's a very nice guy, from what little we know," Arthur said quietly. "Well, I suppose I'll just go on your behalf, then."</p><p>"It is more of the Gilbert issue that he seems to require assistance on. He apparently wants to confess the nature of their relationship to the rest of the court? I have advised him to hold back for quite a while now, but it seems like he really does want to do it even more so now. You would be a confidante, I assume."</p><p>"It's just a little thing. The only thing I have to do is to not blab and keep my mouth shut, right?" Arthur said, taking the paper from Kiku and reading. "It's definitely not going to be a problem."</p><p>"It <em>is </em>if you are refusing to fill our these forms. It is getting late, and we are going to have our goodbye ceremony in a few days, let alone be at the submission area. It is not just going to be us, you know."</p><p>Arthur waited for Kiku to reorganise the letters in a neat pile, then they both went upstairs to prepare for bed.</p><p>Tomorrow would definitely be a glimpse into the future they had in the kingdoms of Cards.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Act 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>My first few chapters are quite short, so I'll be uploading them more frequently. :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kiku definitely wasn't exaggerating when he said that the lines were packed.</p><p>By the time Arthur groggily pencilled in the last grade he had received for his magic and Kiku had greeted him in the kitchen with a piece of buttered toast, the usually spacious facility was completely packed. The revolving glass doors were wide open, and a pair of guards clad in Hearts' military uniform were standing outside them and keeping control of the crowd, the red stark in contrast against the brightly painted walls.</p><p>The line stretched out near the base of the marble steps that lead up to the main compound. Arthur and Kiku waved hello to a few familiar faces from their weekly magic class, but judging from the various parents and teenagers clutching forms, the crowd was not limited to the candidates assigned to the holding facilities.</p><p>They were likely part of the upper class, the ones that were fortunate and wealthy enough to live in the Inner Circle. A girl quite a way up above was holding a pale pink shawl and was dressed in an intricate purple skirt, and her mother seemed to be holding a paper and talking to her harshly. Another boy was dressed very smartly, straightening his hat before he strode up the steps and snapped his phone closed, a luxury that was limited to residents of the Inner Circles only.</p><p>"Do you think they've separated the lines like they did last time?" Arthur asked as they came near to the end of the line, jogging up the stairs.</p><p>"It would probably partition near the beginning," Kiku reasoned, sounding a little breathless. "There seems to be a lot more this time than they had last time around."</p><p>"Are we even near the end of the line yet? Why do you think there's more people-" Arthur began, but he crashed straight into a girl right in front of them, who whipped around almost immediately.</p><p>Her ice-blue eyes were striking, and she pushed away her platinum blonde hair as she watched him getting up critically.</p><p>"We have reached the end of the line," Kiku concluded sheepishly.</p><p>"Hi, would you punks like to explain yourselves?" she snapped.</p><p>She was pretty in appearance, her hair loosely tied together and secured with a dark ribbon and she was wearing a black dress, but the severe expression took all those thoughts right out of Arthur's head.</p><p>"Um, sorry, Miss-"</p><p>"Natalya," she replied frostily. "I'm assuming you're one of those kids from the holding facilities."<br/>
"That would be correct," Kiku said, desperately trying to rectify the solution before Arthur started squaring up for a fight as well. "We are sorry that we disturbed you, we were just a little hurried to sign up."</p><p>"Is it because you're signing up for the Spades Deciding, like almost all of the other rich kids in the area? Everyone's done it this year," she muttered in response as Arthur brushed off some dust from his coat and quickly mumbled an apology. "Thinks money means they're destined to be the next Queen of Spades."</p><p>"I'm applying for Spades, yes, but Kiku here is going for the Hearts Kingdom. I'm Arthur, by the way. Pleasure to meet you." Arthur said, offering his hand so that she could give him hers.</p><p>"Oh, the pleasure is all mine," she snarked right back, instead taking his hand in a tight grip and shaking it firmly. "Spades, as well."</p><p>As they got closer and closer to the area where the queue split into the people from the holding facilities and the people who had to pay an additional fee to get into the Deciding, Kiku would not stop frantically checking his form.</p><p>"What if we have missed something? I am sure that you placed the fact that I speak more than one language on the list of my improved attributes, but still-" he fretted. The two of them had decided to fill out the other's redeeming qualities and attributes in order to get a fair bias. Arthur still worried that his best friend had embellished him to be some sort of magical god.</p><p>"Kiku, I definitely do not pour as much time into reading as I did before," Arthur complained as he straightened the paper. "I'm not some sort of scholar! And singing? I never even took any of my classes-"</p><p>"Aren't you supposed to be prepared?" Natalya had turned around to face them, perching on her cardboard box as they were waiting for the queue to start partitioning. "And anyway, do you really think they'll look at the application forms at length? There's got to be-I don't know, probably thousands of us and they're supposed to ask only thirty of us to come down to the palace in the end."<br/>
"But still, if it is not neat then it does not suit standards." Kiku said, squinting amidst the awful, lashing sunlight.</p><p>"Some people are only just starting to fill in their forms," Arthur remarked, his gaze flicking around to see a boy furiously scribbling on his pale green form for Clubs while simultaneously watching the line beginning to shift.</p><p>"Yeah. But a lot of people have definitely put a lot of thought into their appearances, because come on, would you slog through three thousand applications or look at their pictures?"</p><p>"Is that why the people from the Inner Circles have come dressed as fancily as they possibly could have?" Kiku said, taking a quick glance at the people around them. Someone, clearly from a holding facility, was clad in simple jeans and a t-shirt, and a girl next to him was speaking with him, wearing a pretty but plain summer dress. A few spots behind her, a girl was examining her nails with a bored expression on her face, but she was lathered in makeup and her dress was nothing farther from dull. Another boy, presumably her brother with their matching hair colours, was dolled up in a suit from head to toe, with smartly pressed shoes and a pale red tie, probably meant to represent the colours of the kingdom which he was competing from.</p><p>They shuffled along in mostly silence as the minutes progressed on, Arthur and Kiku finally agreeing to put away their pens as the line began to split.</p><p>As they watched the next five people be escorted into different lines, Natalya faced them again, putting down her cardboard box and her application in one swift movement.</p><p>"…who's the one that's going to Spades?" she asked.</p><p>"That would be me," Arthur said quickly, raising one thick eyebrow. "Was there something that you would like?"</p><p>"Nothing in particular," she said, the phrase incredibly choppy in itself. "It's just that things can get brutal in there. And I know we've known each other for what-a grand total of six minutes?"</p><p>"Forty seven minutes, to be exact," Kiku said.</p><p>"Yeah, that. Anyway…should we make a deal? I promise I won't be bitchy or behave in a shitty way towards you, and you do the same. I already have enough work on my plate trying to charm this guy I don't know, and I really <em>don't </em>need a fight. I have other priorities. <em>So</em>…is that okay with you?" she said, extending her hand for a handshake and an agreement.</p><p><em>But I don't know you</em>, Arthur reasoned with himself in his mind. <em>How do I know you won't backstab me later on?</em></p><p>
  <em>But again, it's not like I really have anything to lose. I just have to try to get Heracles out of the military, help Matthew as best as you can, and then start a life outside the holding facilities. Then I can pursue that bookshop I've always wanted.</em>
</p><p>"It's a deal," he said, taking her cold hand and shaking it firmly. "Anyway, it's not like there will be anything to fight over. The prince isn't really anything to fight over, right?"</p><p>"Well, you haven't met him yet," Natalya said as the line began to shift and she began to be directed to another section. "Who knows, you could be completely head over heels for the guy in less than a week."<br/>
Arthur grimaced at the thought, but wished her good luck as she walked away and did the same.</p><p>
  <em>As if. I'm not some lovesick schoolgirl, after all. I'll be lucky if I make it past the first day!</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>"Papers, please," the official said, and Arthur scuffled around in his pocket for the documents as Kiku handed them over in a neat pile.</p><p>"Which kingdom?" he asked, and Kiku replied in a swift fashion, resting his hand on the tall contraption that stood in front of the towering glass panels that led into another room.</p><p>"Mr Honda," he said, peering at his information before handing it back to him, "You'll be in Aisle Three for Hearts, Window Eight. You will be screened further there. Have a nice day. Next!"</p><p>Kiku disappeared past the glass panel that separated the brightly lit concierge into the other room.<br/>
Arthur handed over his slightly creased forms, twiddling his thumbs nervously as the official motioned for him to place the hand on the smooth surface of the device.</p><p>It wasn't a new concept since there had been scans ever since he had come to the holding facilities when he was eight. At least it was better than tracker devices directly embedded into the candidates' skins-at least, that were the rumours of the holding facilities in Clubs and Diamonds. As usual, the surface was cold, and he felt a shudder run through his skin as he felt the machine's rays scan the surface of his hand.</p><p>"Cleared," the official continued in a gruff voice, lifting his violet gaze to meet his. "Mr Kirkland, which kingdom?"<br/>
"Spades," Arthur replied, before he could switch to some other kingdom, knowing his stupid mind.</p><p>The official acknowledged this with a grunt, speaking his mouthpiece while he examined his papers (again). Arthur snuck a quick glance behind his shoulder at the crowd as he awkwardly shifted his weight from side to side.</p><p>"Very well, Aisle Thirteen for Spades, window number one. Have a nice day-Next!" he bellowed, handing him back his information before he was ushered away into another corridor.</p><p>It was drafty, his footsteps echoing as he made his way down the long and narrow pathway. It opened to another large hall, but it was darker, with only a few small rectangles serving as the windows, letting in minimal light. The room was colder than the hallway, the largest source of light being the multiple booths packed around the wall.</p><p>There was a large seating area, filled with velvet chairs that a crowd of people were sitting on, candidates and parents alike. Arthur spotted Kiku after a few moments due to the poor lighting, and took the seat next to him.</p><p>"There is still a while yet to your number," Kiku said as Arthur told him about his seating. "I suppose it is because there are so many candidates for Spades this time around. Mine is soon, though.""I wonder why there aren't as many people coming over to Hearts?"</p><p>"I wonder why there aren't as many people coming over to Hearts?"</p><p>"Maybe they do not want to form an attachment to the King and then find themselves in a bad situation-" he mused as a girl and her father got up from their seats and went to a blue marked counter. He began to speak again, but he was interrupted by a call of his name and noticed out from the corner of his eye that there was a booth lighting up red.</p><p>"Mr Honda," came over the intercom. "Please refer to the LED display for your booth number and your clerk."</p><p>"There it is," Kiku said quickly, his gaze moving to the large rectangle that was the display. "We might not be able to get out at the same time, so I will go ahead and buy dinner first. Any requests?"</p><p>"Um, bagels will do."</p><p>"Mr Kirkland, may I have your papers, please?"</p><p>Arthur took off his waist pouch and placed it on the rusty hook, handing the clerk his papers. He pulled his coat around him tighter, trying to keep his body temperature at a normal state.</p><p>"The Spades Deciding, hmm?" he asked, tipping his glasses up further. Arthur nodded quickly in response.</p><p>"Not going to blame you, kid. Very nice country, with a sick prince and a cute Ace," the clerk continued, leafing through his information. "Would recommend."</p><p>"…excuse me?" Arthur asked, trying not to sputter. This wasn't how a normal businessperson would react. Calling the prince ill? Even if Arthur had never met him, that was rather disrespectful anyway! And calling the Ace cute-that was a bizarre statement in its own!</p><p>"Yeah. Cute Ace, what about it? Ha, you fancy kids are so fun to mess around with. I asked Kat to come over with me, too bad she said it didn't feel right. You guys are a hoot!" he laughed.</p><p>"Kat?" Arthur questioned, trying to peek through the blinds. Who on Earth was this person and why-</p><p>Wait, that name. <em>Haven't I heard her name somewhere around? I swear I have.</em></p><p>"Yeah, kid, unless you've been living under a rock, you know who Katya is. Super sweet Joker?"</p><p>Arthur's mind was reeling as he processed this information. "Do you <em>know </em>her? As in, personally talk to her?"</p><p>The man behind the window sighed, placing down Arthur's papers and hesitating for a moment before he pulled a cord and the blinds went up. They did not go up all the way, but they managed to expose a pair of pale red eyes.</p><p>"You could say that I <em>really </em>know her," he smirked, seeing recognition fall into Arthur's eyes.</p><p>Because who else could those well known eyes belong to, other than the Joker himself, Gilbert Beilschmidt?</p><p>"You're, uh, going have to do a lot of explaining," Arthur said in a low tone, whipping his head from side to side in paranoia.</p><p>"That's <em>exactly </em>what I'm going to do now, kid."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>let me know what you think - i'd dearly love to improve my writing, so please go ahead and leave them.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Act 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>My first few chapters are quite short, so I'll be uploading them more frequently in batches of two. :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Your Highness, can I just ask why in Duchess' name are you-" Arthur began, but was cut off by the Joker ducking his head lower, thus revealing the tousled silver-white hair that everyone was most familiar with.</p><p>"You don't go spouting that title in front of literally everyone," Gilbert grumbled, but other than that did not seem too angry. "You think it's a good idea to have this gossip in here, or someone that's a little more secluded?"</p><p>"...first of all, what on Earth are you going to talk with me about? And second of all, how are you going to get us out of this packed place without someone suspecting or hearing? I'm only listening if it's anything meaningful, knowing your antics."</p><p>The younger Joker's reputation wasn't as nearly as sound as the elder-he had been suspected many a time for his pranks and his jokester antics that had caused mischief around all four Kingdoms.</p><p>"To answer your prissy questions," Gilbert replied with an irritated twitch of his famous feathered ears that he could now see, "The first one is about that cute Ace I was talking about. Second-well, watch and learn."</p><p>Before Arthur could even open his mouth to question and protest further, the hall around them fell completely still and silent, like a veil was completely covering it.</p><p>Arthur turned to face Gilbert, but his movements were slightly slowed, as if he were moving in water.</p><p>Gilbert mouthed…something, and Arthur started following him. Unless his command was <em>don't follow me and keep your distance</em>, following him seemed like the most rational thing to do. In such a place, such a weird surrounding, there really wasn't anything else to do, anyway.</p><p>Arthur felt that he was physically moving as fast as he could but the frame definitely didn't make it seem that way as even his movement was distorted. To his shock, the walls started to warp, bending slightly, and the people started to slowly bend over and twist as well. He tried to speak, but no words came out. Gilbert kept on moving, not making a single sound or a single movement other than moving as quickly as he could.</p><p>He must have started physically panicking and Gilbert must have sensed or seen this, because as soon as they both made their way into an isolated room, their surroundings started to resume normality.</p><p>"Yo," Gilbert panted, his ears dangling loosely and sounding exhausted, "You okay there, punk?"</p><p>"Of course I wasn't!" Arthur said quickly, but his voice shook all the same. "How on Earth did you <em>do </em>that?"</p><p>"Comes with being a Joker," he rasped, shuffling inside his jacket for a pair of thin nylon gloves. "But it's still at the courtesy of the awesome me."</p><p>"Are you all right?" Arthur asked. "You seem rather out of breath.</p><p>"Nah, it's nothing that difficult. Just takes the wind outta my sails, uh, occasionally." Gilbert said, sinking onto the floor and pulling his gloves on.</p><p>He waited until the Joker had regained his breath, and joined him on the floor, waiting for him to speak.</p><p>The room that they had both stumbled in was dimly lit but fitted with a porthole near the ceiling, allowing a small ray of light to beam into the room. The walls and floor were completely stripped clean, and the room was completely empty save for two aged chairs.</p><p>"Where is this place?"</p><p>"Think this is an examining room, but no matter," Gilbert said quickly, shoving his hands behind his back where they weren't visible. "Let's get down to talking. It's about Matthew. Has your little friend been keeping you updated?"<br/>
Assuming that his 'little friend' was Kiku, he nodded in response.</p><p>"So, uh, here's the thing," Gilbert said, and Arthur noted that it was one of the first times he had heard the usually confident sounding Joker-his appearances on television included-sound nervous.</p><p>"Our relationship isn't the easiest on the planet to manage, and I don't want to get into the good stuff, heh. But it has to be a secret-guessing you know why already?"</p><p>"Um…no," Arthur said quietly. "I was assuming that it was called an affair for a reason."</p><p>The Joker paused for a minute then shook his head quickly, resting his head against the wall.</p><p>"Then I gotta say that it's no problem. Just the fact that it's supposed to be secret should stick. Okay?" Gilbert said, to which Arthur nodded his agreement. He suspected that Gilbert had more reasons, but he thought it would be impolite to prod further.</p><p>"Did Mattie give you my letters?"</p><p>"Letters…?" Arthur trailed off before remembering the small pile of tiny yellow mail that had come in with the postage. "Um, no, my friend Kiku was the one that Matthew kept in touch with."</p>
<hr/><p>Gilbert did a double take, suddenly sitting up straight and giving him a long stare before he burst into loud laughter and ran a hand through his scruffy hair, his tufted ears twitching irritably in response.</p><p>"Oh, god, wrong kid!" he spluttered. "Sorry for wastin' your time, but if you don't have the mail, I can't really help you more than that."</p><p>"So what you're saying is that you basically froze time for nothing?" Arthur hissed, starting to feel a little irritated. He wasn't even bothering to keep his voice down!</p><p>"It's not <em>as</em> simple as just freezing time, but yeah. Tell you what-" Gilbert started to reply, sounding a little embarrassed, but they were interrupted by a sound at the end of the corridor.</p><p>His red eyes sharpened for just for a moment as he pulled his wrists up in a flowing motion, and before Arthur knew it they were being magically suspended in their room again.</p><p>He opened the door, Arthur following as quickly as the warp would allow him. They passed a person with a handful of papers, presumably the person who made the noise, and a mother and her daughter, both clutching bags and both looking very annoyed. There was no one else in the corridor, and Arthur only got to see the longer effects of the sensation when they made their ways back to their former seats and Gilbert shut his eyes and clenched and unclenched his fists. Only when he removed his gloves did their surroundings begin to shift back to normal. People stopped shaking and fading and continued on with their business, and the seconds hand on the clock began to chirpily tick away again.</p><p>"There, wasn't so bad, right?" Gilbert panted, his grip harder on the wood than it had been for a moment. "Should we just get to what you came for?"</p><p>"That sounds like a good idea," Arthur said breathlessly, the adrenaline from the warp starting to slow down.</p><p>Gilbert yanked down the blinds in the booth once more.</p>
<hr/><p>"You are back a little later than I expected," Kiku said as Arthur turned on the landing lights and locked the door, the bright light in stark contrast compared to the darkening sky.</p><p>"Sorry, there were…complications involved in the process, shall I say? I hope you saved me dinner." Arthur said, hurriedly removing off his waist pouch on top of their dresser.</p><p>"Of course," Kiku said, lifting a plastic wrapped bagel from the fridge. "I did a little bit of dusting while you were away."</p><p>"Thanks a lot, I'll do the vacuuming next week." This was where Arthur knew that Kiku had taken a lot less time for his application; his best friend was terribly precise with their home maintenance and if one checked their house after his spree they would easily pass the white glove test.</p><p>"If there will be one. Did you happen to meet Gilbert?"</p><p><br/>
Green eyes met brown as Arthur nodded, and Kiku's expression shifted into understanding as he shuffled in a cabinet and pulled out an unmarked envelope.</p><p>"I forgot to alert to you that he might be trying to seek out either of us," Kiku said sheepishly, "But he stopped by around twenty minutes ago and I gave him the post. I apologize, however, for not letting you know beforehand-"</p><p>"But you took care of him and that's more than enough for my satisfaction," Arthur chided, taking a bite of his bagel. "If you're fine with…this is a little tougher than usual," he cut off before he finished the sentence.</p><p>"Well, it is not my fault that you were so delayed whilst you were getting home." Kiku said amusedly. "Of course, if it had not gone stale I would have worried about the quality of the food."</p><p>"Mmph," Arthur mumbled through his mouthful, "Don'f be like that."</p><p>The two of them chatted lightly before they decided to retire to bed as the digital clock blipped to ten p.m.</p><p>Arthur turned off the lights as Kiku brushed his teeth in their small, squeaky clean bathroom, and the boys settled down for bed, the crickets chirping merrily as Kiku yanked down the blinds.</p><p>Arthur could hear the other's upbeat music as he reached for his headphones, wanting to push them into the tiny musical chip he-</p><p>"Kiku, where is my music chip?"</p><p>"Did you not leave it downstairs?" his best friend replied, already sounding sleepy. "You are the self dubbed king of losing things, right?"</p><p>"Don't remind me," Arthur sighed. "I'm going to open the lights, okay? In three-"</p><p>Kiku yelped as they were flicked on regardless, and he curled into his thick blanket, shivering as Arthur drowsily let his bare feet touch the cold tile and shuffled around for his bag.</p><p>He'd forgotten where it was until he stumbled onto the velvety object and got hold of it.</p><p>"We need an organizing system," Kiku hissed as Arthur turned off the lights again and plugged in his pods. "I do not want you blinding me with those lights again, please!"</p><p>"I'm doing my best!" Arthur said. "I'll figure out something, sorry."</p><p>He fell asleep to the first four bars of his classical music.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>let me know what you think :) i'd dearly love to improve my writing, so please go ahead and leave your thoughts.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Act 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>My first few chapters are quite short, so I'll be uploading them more frequently in batches of two. :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"It's getting late."</p><p>Alfred raised his head to peer around the corner as Yao patted him on his shoulder, making him jump.</p><p>"Your Highness, your brother is already preparing to go to sleep," the Jack of Spades chided, tugging on the prince's ear gently. "You have a Deciding to plan, young man, and staring out into the gardens won't get those candidates chosen."</p><p>"Hmph, Mattie has it easy-and Yao, didn't we agree to not use the title?" Alfred said, but relented at Yao's words.</p><p>The Jack accepted this with a nod, taking one look at the gardens before walking with the prince, placing one hand on his back."Isn't it moving a little too fast?" Alfred asked, not dragging his gaze away to face Yao. "I mean, it's not coming soon, right?"</p><p>"Isn't it moving a little too fast?" Alfred asked, not dragging his gaze away to face Yao. "I mean, it's not coming soon, right?"</p><p>"I would say it is," Yao said with an expression that told of his many years dealing with the royal twins. "A time span of two weeks seems close in my book."<br/>
Alfred gave a start at this, but he shook his head childishly in reply.</p><p>"That's totally not near at all! Have the…things even come in yet?" he gestured awkwardly.</p><p>"First batch has already," Yao smiled, stifling a laugh at the teen's horrified expression. "It's <em>all </em>here for you to run your grubby hands through.""My hands are not</p><p>"My hands are not <em>grubby</em>!" Alfred protested. "And come on, can't this wait until morning?"</p><p>"Not if you keep on putting your sleep off, young man. Even your brother's brushing his teeth," Yao said briskly, leading him to his conjoined bedroom with his brother's on the left. "Sometimes I wish you cou-"</p><p>Alfred looked up at him, but his mouth shut tightly into a thin line and he shook out his ponytail.</p><p>"What were you gonna say, Yao?" he asked in a quieter, more subdued tone.</p><p>"No matter, Alfred." Yao replied quickly, ushering him into his bedroom. "But ask your maid to come for me before you go to sleep, please."</p><p>"Consider it done?" Alfred said in a quizzical tone, but smiled at his maid who quickly bowed and scurried to the bathroom to prepare his bath.</p><p>Whatever Yao wanted him to see could wait after his bubbles.</p>
<hr/><p>"I must say, Your Highness," Yao said, stifling a chuckle, "That could easily have been one of the longest baths I've heard you take. Or was it that your maid was slow in getting to me?"</p><p>"Of course not!" Alfred said quickly, pulling down his hood, the lumpy bear ears meshing with each other. "My maid hasn't done anything wrong. I was just tired, after all."</p><p>"Have the advisers been giving you a difficult time again?" Yao asked, frowning as he took a seat. "You really should tell me if anything like the meeting last Wednesday happens again when I'm not here."</p><p>"Yes, Yao," Alfred said quietly. After a few moments, the Jack pulled out a new contraption.</p><p>It was coloured a metallic silver, and had a slim, circular shape that was cool to the touch when Alfred held it. It was shaped similarly to the small cell phone that Yao occasionally carried around with him in the palace.</p><p>"This is so cool!" Alfred exclaimed, turning it around in his hands in excitement. "Uh, what is it?"</p><p>"Since I don't think it's the best time for you to be walking around the palace at such an hour, I decided to bring the handheld port instead of us having to slouch over to the port room. You won't be able to choose until we have all the entries, and I'm sure you'll be wanting to ask Matthew for the help."</p><p>"So…this is just for me to look at?" Alfred asked as he took the port from Yao's gloved hands.</p><p>"Yes, well-it's been around ever since your great grandfather, I'm told. They used to have every single application mailed straight to the palace, but to save resources now they just enter it into a database for you to paw through. And-<em>don't </em>touch that, Alfred," he said exasperatedly as the prince jabbed at the 'select' button on a redhead's profile, "That's not available until Sunday, when the last entries come in. And that button's not something to be taken lightly."</p><p>"How many do I get to choose?" Alfred asked, his hands scuttling around to try to get a feel of the new interface.</p><p>"Thirty. You can go back to the desktop here," Yao said, Alfred handing him the port and demonstrating, "To see a wider overview of twenty to thirty applicants, you can just go here, but if you want to zoom in, you click the picture. Got the hang of it yet?""Yao, I'm very good with electronics, unlike you," Alfred smiled, not wanting to take a moment off teasing his guardian. "Remember the last time you tried to send a message to Clubs and it ended up with Hearts instead?"</p><p>"Yao, I'm very good with electronics, unlike you," Alfred smiled, not wanting to take a moment off teasing his guardian. "Remember the last time you tried to send a message to Clubs and it ended up with Hearts instead?"</p><p>"Yes, well…" Yao trailed off, looking slightly embarrassed. "I prefer postage to the new-fangled things everyone seems to be trying to use. There's something much more valuable with a letter than a little message on a port. Besides, the ports are far too big to be of a convenience. Until we can make them do more things and make them smaller, we're going to have to keep going with your penmanship lessons."</p><p>Alfred huffed and stuck out his bottom lip in a gesture that the Jack was familiar with since childhood, and then went back to looking at the pictures.</p><p>"Is there a number of people for each Kingdom? I mean, do I hafta choose a bunch before the system lets me move on or something?"</p><p>"Alfred, these aren't like one of the games you read about when you were supposed to be brushing up on history. You don't have to choose a set number, but it's a good thing to have an even spread. But the thing with Hearts…you know what," Yao said hastily, looking at Alfred's dismayed expression, "Just go with your instinct, I should say. After all, it'll be over quicker if you find a group of people you really like instead of people you really can't stand."</p><p>"…that was what the advisers were arguing about last week."</p><p>"What?" Yao said, his gaze whipping around to meet Alfred's. His tone was calm, but Alfred could see behind his cool brown gaze to see the fury in his eyes.</p><p>"Something about a handful of people that they'd already picked out for me…" Alfred said in a small voice. "They were pretty insistent, but I managed to, um, hold them off until the next meeting."</p><p>Yao huffed angrily, running a hand through his hair before facing Alfred and placing his hands on his shoulders.</p><p>"Look, Alfred, if I could make them stop I would have already done so. But only a Queen or a King can put them down, and until you've chosen your queen we can't do anything about that. But you must stay strong, my boy, while I do everything I can. We'll start with attending each Meeting together if my schedule allows me." Yao said, closing his eyes for a moment before patting Alfred on the back and sitting back down on the armchair. "Duchess knows how they even got the list before I had a chance to show you. They've ruined the surprise of the process."</p><p>"No, I didn't really remember anything about them," Alfred rushed to reassure his guardian, fumbling with the device. "But I would totally appreciate your help."</p><p>"After the petition I should have excluded them completely, but as a Jack there's not that much that's in my power. I'll have a word with Matthew, since a Jack and an Ace is still slightly better than just one person of the Primary Suit."</p><p>"What about the part about queens having to bear a child before…?" Alfred began nervously, but Yao shook his head and waved his hand dismissively.</p><p>"That, well, is no longer a concern. At least, it should not be. Since you are interested in both genders, my boy, it'll be a little harder for a male to bear a child. So if that ends up happening, I will arrange for the circumstances as best as I can."</p><p>"But doesn't that mean I'll have to try marrying a girl for better chance?" Alfred said, powering the device back on and swiping haphazardly on the screen, past pages of smiling faces. His feet started tapping on his dark blue carpet in nervousness, and his fingers moved more frantically.</p><p>"Don't think about the advisers for now." Yao soothed, folding his hands together in his lap. "With the Fates on our side, they can be kept in control for now. Because after all, the only person that can choose the true Queen of Spades is you, Alfred."</p><p>Alfred looked up at Yao, who was rising to leave the room. The Jack of Spades looked fondly at his bright blue eyes, and he couldn't but help think of the eight year old that wandered into his office and tugged on his robes and begged him for a bedtime story, the fifteen year old that had squealed in excitement when his dog had been presented to him as a present, and now, well...</p><p>"I'd actually thought you'd never grow up to be as mature as you are now." Yao said, half to himself.</p><p>"Have I done you proud?" For the first time in the whole night, Alfred's eyes carried a lining of hope, and there was a pang in Yao's heart for the eighteen year old - his posture had been stiffened, his voice not quite a tenor but not the high pitched laughter that the Jack still remembered-that had been forced to grow up far too fast.</p><p>"Of course," Yao said sincerely, Alfred getting to his feet and following him to the door. "You're very strong, my boy, and I know that you'll do very well in your Deciding. I have faith."</p><p>Alfred cracked into a childish smile, which made Yao relax as well.</p><p>By the Fates would Alfred never truly change, and remain himself against all odds.</p><p>"Goodnight, Alfred-no, it's all right, you can keep it for tonight," Yao said quickly, pressing the port into his hands. "Do some research tonight, but don't sleep too late. There are more coming in the next few days, so please be prepared."</p><p>"Goodnight, Yao!" Alfred said, and did a quick bow before he closed the door and watched the Jack go back to his office, no doubt.</p><p>Drawing his curtains closed and peering worriedly at his dog Hero's empty bed, he leapt onto his bed and powered on the port, letting his breathing relax and his legs stretch out as he scrolled through the names and the faces of his future Chosen.</p>
<hr/><p>The next morning, Alfred bid good morning to his maid, skipped out on his morning bath and started to prepare after he ushered his maid out for some fresh air. He let his fingers trail across his massive wardrobe and went for a loose shirt and deep blue pants for the quiet, summery morning. Putting Yao's port in the back of his pants, he wiggled his feet into a pair of simple canvas shoes before making his way to breakfast.</p><p>"Good morning, Your Highness," his butler said, smiling as Alfred sat on the chair right in front of the large dining table. He smiled back awkwardly as he asked for his usual breakfast, then fidgeted with the cloth on the table as he waited.</p><p>"Orange or apple juice?" another maid asked, offering him two glasses. He took the one with the apple juice inside, taking a long, hearty sip before he looked up and realized that the maid was still there, patiently waiting for him to finish. Gulping the rest of it down quickly, he asked for another glass, feeling self-conscious.</p><p>"Good morning, Alfred," his brother Matthew said, sliding into the chair next to him. That would usually have been reserved for the princess or queen, but since there was neither Matthew-being a full fledged Ace-took the spot for the time being.</p><p>"'Morning, Mattie!" he said, just relieved to have a distraction from the luxuries of royal life. "What's up?"</p><p>"I just finished talking with Queen Elizabeta," Matthew replied, waving shyly to a maid for his usual morning breakfast of pancakes. "She was thinking about adding a few more exports to try to improve our trading and things. All in a day's work, eh?"</p><p>"Yeah, I guess," Alfred said. Quickly turning his attention to his steaming plate of bacon and eggs, trying his best to not snort at his brother's horrified expression as he scarfed them down.</p>
<hr/><p>As the day turned from dull to dreary as rain came upon the palace mid morning, Alfred decided to spend some time with his brother after trying to tend to the horses and being unceremoniously shooed off. Of course, Matthew had his own work to do, but with such a important task at hand he felt like he would swallow his pride for once and ask for assistance.</p><p>"Come in." Even before he had finished his sentence, Alfred came charging in the room, noting his brother's sharp inhale and his back suddenly straightening.</p><p>"What's wrong, bro?"</p><p>"Nothing, I just thought you were Yao," Matthew said, putting down his pen. "He's prepared some documents I need to look over later. What do you need?"</p><p>Matthew had started sounding busier than ever since the last Solstice taking place in the sweltering heat of the early summer. He had asked both him and Yao about this, but they had both dismissed him, saying that they had other things to attend to. Of course, Alfred being Alfred, he had snuck into Matthew's small office and searched, but only managed to get away scot free with a tiny bit of time manipulation.</p><p>"Uh, you know about the Deciding?" Alfred blurted, making sure to shut the door behind them with a fling of his hand, sending the door flying.</p><p>"…can you just stop trying to break my door, first of all? I just managed to bring it back to its normal spot, and I had a pretty bad headache after," Matthew said irritably.</p><p>Unfortunately for him-and <em>very </em>fortunately for Alfred-his magic would never measure up to his brother's. Magic was dictated from birth, and due to a bitter six minutes Matthew had been declared the Ace and had been forced to watch his brother leap and bound in front of him as the future King. Of course, that meant lonely days sitting in front of the fire as their parents watched proudly as Alfred started levitating and slamming objects into each other, nights where Alfred smirked at him with his taller height and a series of books that Matthew knew he would chuck out the moment Yao's back was turned.</p><p>"Yeah, okay, whatever," Alfred said, pulling up a chair and flashing his brother a bright smile. "So can you help me with this choosing thing? I don't know what to look for in a person."</p><p>"That's what you said after you decided to try to romance my maid and caused me lots of embarrassment, eh?" Matthew teased, but pushed away from the desk so he had more space. "Magic word is please, brother."</p><p>Alfred grumbled and fidgeted as Matthew watched amusedly, fiddling with his watch as a reminder that Alfred didn't have all day. When Alfred did swallow his ego and asked for help, Matthew thrust his fist into the air in an uncharacteristic declaration of success and whooped loudly.</p><p>"Okay, okay, I get it! Here's the stuff," Alfred said, shoving the port into Matthew's chest.</p><p>"Isn't this a brand new thing that Yao mentioned?" Matthew questioned, turning the object around in his hands.</p><p>"Yeah, it's a handheld port. That's how I'm choosing?"</p><p>"They haven't all come in, right?" Matthew said knowledgeably, tapping on his calendar that was adorned with bears. "You should just probably laze off on your chubby butt by then."</p><p>"Hey, I ain't chubby!" Alfred protested, though the two brothers were laughing between each other. "And how do you know all about my schedule?"</p><p>"More like you should know more about me," Matthew retorted, but noted that Alfred had brought his chair around to directly face him and had quickly composed himself, peering closely at the screen. "But anyway, this thing can't take notes. Bring some paper, and we'll see which ones you fancy for now."</p><p>The two brothers spent the afternoon going through the applicant system, which had one new batch coming in every other hour. They had sectioned off the candidates into the four kingdoms, although the system did have issues and did not section off the ones that came from the holding facilities and the ones that didn't.</p><p>They hardly noticed the Jack's absence from the castle until he joined them for a late dinner, all breathless and flushed as he put down his usual stack of documents and asked for a bowl of soup before Alfred bombarded him with questions and Matthew dug up the piece of paper to show him.</p><p>"I'm sorry, boys," Yao said after he asked the maids to leave the trio alone. "There were a few issues with the military drafting. We've just received our military assignment. I trust that you're ready to speak tomorrow night, Matthew? The speech isn't too complicated, I hope."</p><p>"N-no, Yao, it's completely fine. I haven't had much time to run through it today specifically, because Alfred needed some help with getting through selecting a few candidates." Matthew said, showing him the paper. "We did a little research into what and who he'd pick."</p><p>"Well, nothing wrong with a little head start. Good work, you two." Yao praised, putting down his spoon. "We only have a week between announcing the candidates and the Deciding actually starting, so we have until the Broadcast for you to choose, Alfred. Do you need help with other duties then?"</p><p>Alfred, who had been deep in thought and nursing his chicken leg, jumped as Yao's cool gaze fixed onto him. Loosening his tie, he nodded readily.</p><p>"It's not like I really have a lot of duties, anyway." he muttered under his breath as he bid goodnight to his brother and guardian. Going up the stairs into his bedroom, he paused before deciding to wander around the vast halls.</p><p>Judging from the day, there was so many things going on for the two of them that Alfred could not help feeling excluded. Of course, their work didn't sound fun at all, but at least it gave some <em>purpose </em>to their day. For him, however, he was just stuck as a crown prince before he could find his princess. Then the job, the responsibilities, the <em>power</em>…it would be all his.</p><p>Matthew was already an Ace. Yao had been the Jack ever since he and his twin had been born. He still came across articles and books talking about his parents' glorious rule as king and queen before they had both died, and how they had brought Spades to become a more prosperous kingdom than it had been before their joint reign. What kind of legacy would that serve for him to live up to?</p><p>With a pang, Alfred touched his cheek, remembering how his mother used to kiss his chubby face goodnight and how his father's beard used to brush against his rosy cheeks as he told him jokes. Now it had mellowed out into a more handsome face and a strong jaw, but what would he not give to have it softer and more rounded like it was in his childhood. Far from the mould of being perfect, like he was always seen, how he was always shown in the media.</p><p>Dithering in the first floor south corridor, he paused for a moment before deciding to turn west and go up the large staircase back into the path of his room.</p><p>After all, he had a week. A week, to make his life change for the better.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>let me know what you think :) i'd dearly love to improve my writing, so please go ahead and leave your thoughts.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Act 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>My first few chapters are quite short, so I'll be uploading them more frequently :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"This is still <em>too </em>early in the morning for something like this," A girl complained, and Arthur's head turned around.</p><p>The place was completely packed, the square that Kiku and Arthur walked past almost weekly for their check ups. It was usually empty, save for a few couples having partners or tourists from other countries walking around, but today it was packed.</p><p>It was the week after the information had been sent in and Arthur's encounter with Gilbert. The two of them had tried to go around their normal business, but all classes had been cancelled for them since they had entered that year. They had thought of going to the housing blocks of the last Holding Facility, the one that housed the twenty year olds, but it was completely abandoned. Kiku had attributed this to the fact that they were in the last year of eligibility and were probably struggling to make ends meet since they usually would not be picked due to their age. If a twenty year old was chosen, many people attributed it to the fact that they usually paid their way in instead of being in the holding facilities.</p><p>Interestingly enough, they seemed to be divided this year since they seemed to be held for the position of entering the Deciding, of course. Even in the beginning, it had been no secret that many rich families from the Inner Circles bought the forms so that they could register for the Deciding, passing screening that was included in the holding facilities. Nowadays, it was a legal matter, but it was no longer considered taboo. However, some form of stigma still remained for the parents that paid in excess of three hundred <em>thousand </em>gold to get a fast track form that basically put their children on par with the people that had lived in the holding facilities their whole lives, such as Arthur and Kiku. Arthur's family got fifty thousand gold per year due to his loss as a breadwinner for his family and his services to the crown, and that amount was astronomical in his perspective.</p><p>Some of the richer families living in the Inner Circles had set up picnic blankets in their partition, chatting amicably with their son or daughter. Some of them were dressed in extravagant clothes as if they already lived in the palace, and as Arthur and Kiku walked past them he caught a glance of a woman handing her sons some powder and a brush, which they proceeded to dust on their cheeks. The same was happening all over the square while they quietly shuffled off to a seating area that was roped off from the families. As Arthur watched, he noticed that the number of those eligible were a lot less than last year's selection preparing to go into service for the crown.</p><p><em>Perhaps it's because the opportunity is just for us who've been selected at birth? </em>Arthur questioned, wiggling his toes in his shoes in discomfort. He had been pressed into a suit that was blue to match the country he was opting with, and on his left Kiku was wearing a red one, to represent Hearts.</p><p>The girl next to him was wearing blue as well, her dress pulled tightly to the side to accompany her sullen expression. With a hint of surprise, Arthur remembered her face as Natalya, the same girl he had run into the day that they had to apply.</p><p>"Er, hello," he said, and she turned herself to face him. Her eyes lost a little of that hostility, but her response was clipped all the same. Arthur felt even more awkward, but as Kiku was currently staring at the wealthy behind them, he decided to try to resume a conversation with her.</p><p>…wait, if she hadn't been living in the holding facilities all this time, why was she not down there with the others?</p><p>"Well, to answer your question, it's none of your business." she said, and Arthur noticed too late that he had spoken the question out loud.</p><p>"I'm sorry, I was just curious," he said quickly, averting his gaze for a moment. "Is our…is our agreement still on?"</p><p>Natalya examined him with her cool gaze, her nails resting on her cheek for a moment before she nodded.</p><p>"I don't even know if we'll still get in or not," she said, her look not wavering. "Are you <em>that </em>sure about our alliance?"</p><p>"I think that was more of a truce, but seeing the people here," he trailed off, doing a quick glance of the people behind them. "I don't exactly want to be unceremoniously kicked out."</p><p>"Hmm. Here's what I think - those spoilt brats that actually <em>do </em>get in, they'll be gone in a week. They don't really know how to survive in the palace, after all."</p><p>"What do you mean?" Arthur asked confusedly. "As much as I know, the only thing you'll have to do is impress the prince, make him fall in love with you, and so forth…"</p><p>"<em>Tch</em>," she snorted, looking a little bemused. "If it was so simple, there wouldn't need to be a competition in the first place. People have more than one way to get what they want."</p><p>At that precise moment, the clock on the stage turned to three pm, the display whirred to life and Arthur was left to ponder at those words.</p>
<hr/><p>T<em>he Ace of Hearts is a grumpy man,</em> Arthur thought as he watched the Ace board the sidewalk that led to the display. His brown hair was a shade darker than his brother's, and his skin held a dark, olive shade that his brother, the Jack of Hearts, did not have. His green eyes narrowed at the crowd, and he got started with a flurry of curses and 'belt up, you brats.' This would have been considered exceptionally rude other than the fact that it was part of Ace Lovino's charm and the audience seemed to soak it up, except for a few parents who covered up their children's ears and glared furiously at him.</p><p>"Yeah, yeah. So anyway, I guess you've all seen enough of my ugly face and I'm tired as hell of showing it myself, so let's just get onto the Kingdoms. For this year," he said, taking a break and staring down at a small object clutched tightly in his palm.</p><p>"There are three kingdoms - the Clubs, the Hearts and the Spades. All information is in your packet which you should have brought today. So, let's present who has been randomly selected for the Clubs Kingdom!"</p><p>Arthur noticed Natalya clench her fists next to him and look away, and he wondered what had gone on between her and the estranged kingdom. He could see a boy from across him grip a green sheet of paper in excitement - no doubt his form - and a light muttering break out amongst the crowd.</p><p>"Look at your papers <em>now</em>, please," Lovino continued. "If your number flashes up on the screen in the next, uh ten damn minutes, then that's your cue to go up the stage. Don't be stupid, and get on there as soon as possible. Remember, there's only ten per country this year because Diamonds is not participating at all - Francis, that old piece of <em>sh</em>- ahem, so don't come running up."</p><p>The numbers <em>91631 </em>flashed up onto the screen, and behind Arthur he heard a high pitched squeal of a girl. As everyone turned around to look, a green slip of paper was being waved up in the air. As the crowd parted way, she ran up, clad in a bright, emerald dress. She giggled and handed Lovino a piece of paper, which he quickly examined before calling out 'the next number' and pressing a button, causing another number - <em>17532 - </em>to flash up onto the screen.</p><p>"What are your numbers?" Kiku hissed under his breath.</p><p>"<em>01310</em>," Arthur hissed in return. "What's yours?"</p><p>"<em>94126</em>," he replied curtly. The two of them turned around and watched slowly as the rest of the Clubs ceremony continued on.</p><p>The rest of the table had gone silent after the boy clad in green had been summoned up to the stage, and Arthur noticed very few splotches of green amongst the sea of reds and lots and <em>lots </em>of blues.</p><p>"Kiku…I've just realised there's a lot of people wearing blue today. Do you think I'll really be able to get in or will you have to think of a Plan B-" Arthur began to question, but he was interrupted by the Ace again.</p><p>"Okay, now that's all sweet 'n dandy. They're off to Clubs. <em>ANYWHO</em>," he yelled over the annoyed clamours of the parents of the children that had not gotten in (apparently all three of those wanting to go to Clubs had gotten in. Pretty odd.)</p><p>"Let's move off to the next most exciting one - the one right at home. Great, no long distance travel needed. Still going to be ten of you."</p><p>The two of them watched as the digits on the screen flashed back to <em>00000</em>.</p><p>Arthur heard Kiku take a long, deep breath next to him. Of course his friend was worried, even though it didn't exactly mean that if he won that he would be married to a guy that he barely knew, but even so. He was entering this whole malarkey just to see if he could help Heracles in any way he could.</p><p>And so was he.</p><p>"The first number is <em>61349</em>," Lovino announced, and a girl with a distinctive purple streak in her hair got up from the far right of the table and walked onto the stage, reaching into her pink cardigan and handing him the folded envelope. They shook hands, and she curtsied to him before exiting the stage. Arthur and Kiku politely clapped, as the others did on the table as well.</p><p>The second and third numbers belonged to a pair of boys, dressed in smartly pressed suits as they both ran up to give their letters to Lovino. The next two were girls clearly from the Inner Circles judging by their sequinned and jeweled dresses, one of which tucked her black hair behind her ear and giggled before handing it to the Ace, and the other one simply thrust it out to him and twisted her mouth into a scowl to match his own.</p><p>"And that's six. We'll be seeing the seventh candidate in just a moment," Lovino continued, casting a glance at the last girl before pushing his thumbs against the strange device. "Ah, damn servers."</p><p>"Kiku, do you think you can make a quick switch to Spades?" Arthur hissed hurriedly, taking note of his best friend's urgent expression. "I mean, if you don't get in, I'm not sure if-"</p><p>"Goddamn!" Lovino cursed angrily at the stage, and the two boys looked up.</p><p>But that was not what held their gaze, as the number <em>94126 </em>was flashing up on the screen.</p><p>Kiku's hands stilled, and for a moment he seemed to be frozen in his seat in shock until Arthur's initial surprise stopped as well. He reached over and tapped his friend's shoulder, quickly motioning with his green eyes for him to get onto the stage.</p><p>"Hurry, you don't want him getting angry," Arthur urged, and with a daze Kiku nodded and quickly got to his feet, amidst clapping on their table. Arthur's gaze followed him as he lifted up the folds of his formal wear, bowed once to Lovino and handed over the neatly folded parcel of his particulars, and then went off left stage, like the others.</p><p>Just like that, without a goodbye, they had parted for the first time in years. They even had shared the same classes, let alone the same dorm, and Arthur found himself feeling strangely empty as he watched Kiku's now empty spot.</p><p>"I'm just going to guess he's your friend?" Natalya asked next to him, her cool eyes curious, and he could only nod in response, staring back at his thumbs placed squarely on the table.</p>
<hr/><p>The rest of the Hearts selection passed without much incident, other than the connection dipping on the last person which caused another uproar of annoyance – well, mostly from the Ace but some general grumblings – and as the last person, a girl with dark skin and curly hair, curtsied to Lovino and gracefully exited the stage, the square seemed to quiet down. Arthur noticed that a few members, mostly clad in red, were leaving the square, probably disappointed by the result. But he also noticed that at least two thirds of the square were packed by figures clad in blue clothes. There was a <em>lot </em>more competition than he initially thought there was going to be, he thought with a shiver.</p><p>"All right, I guess this is the big one tonight. But like everyone else, it's only ten this year. So our first number is <em>24493</em>," Lovino announced, and there was a quick rush of papers and checking for the five digits.</p><p>"Oh," Natalya said next to him, and he quickly turned around to face her. The light blue paper she was holding in her hands had the numbers <em>24493 </em>were printed in bold font. "Huh. Guess our deal's on, anyway."</p><p>"Wait, but I don't even know if I'll get in-" Arthur began awkwardly, but she had already made her way up to the stage and with an outstretched hand, she handed him her unfolded letter. With a flourish Lovino took it, and she stalked off the stage to the right of the stage when she was gestured, different from the other two kingdoms. Maybe there was something to do with the geographical side of things?</p><p>Feeling a little unsettled about Natalya's confidence that he would<em> indeed </em>get into the process, he dug back into his pocket and mulled over the piece of paper. While the next two candidates were called up, one to loud cheers in the sectioned off area, and one to polite claps from his table.</p><p>Rereading the <em>01310 </em>printed on his page, he turned around to scan his information once more.</p><p>
  <em>Okay, my name's correct, they've printed my middle name this time. My age – blimey, am I really that old? Never mind…all right, they've changed my gender from not applicable to male, thank goodness-</em>
</p><p>"Please save your little goodbyes for <em>later</em>!" Lovino bellowed. His hands were cupped around his mouth and it appeared like he was shouting as normal, but as Arthur looked a little harder it seemed like his cupped hands were almost…<em>vibrating</em>?<br/>
Perhaps he was using magic to amplify his voice?</p><p>He was so invested in his thoughts that he didn't even catch the seventh number being called out.</p><p>"Next – the number of <em>01310!" </em>Lovino called, and Arthur noticed the people sitting next to him pulling out their papers and checking their number. That was a good idea, it…</p><p>…Again, neatly inscribed on his paper were the five little numbers. Zero, one, three, one, zero. Arthur's gaze flew open in shock, and he heard Lovino repeat it again, sounding a little more impatient than he had last time. But there was absolutely no mistaking that the number belonged to him.</p><p>"Yo, are you deaf or something, dude?" The boy sitting two seats away from him and leaned over his shoulder and was staring at his paper. "That's, uh, your number. You have to go up, man."</p><p>…well, with that, all plans of a bluff were immediately called off. Arthur scooped up his sheets and slowly walked up to the podium to clapping from the holding facilities' table and polite clapping from the fenced off area.</p><p>"Don't leave me waiting so long, kid," Lovino grumbled, but he thrust out a leather gloved hand anyway. "Papers, you."</p><p>Arthur unfurled them, shakily handing them to the Ace as he leafed through them. He removed his glove and placed them on the papers. A few seconds passed, then he tucked it under his arm and slid his glove back on.</p><p>"Congrats. Exit's on the…on the right. Carriages will be there to take you off. Now shoo!" he said, and Arthur complied like he had been taught to all his life, bowing quickly before exiting the packed square, still a little dazed and more than overwhelmed.</p>
<hr/><p>"Hey sir, the seventh one's coming!" he heard a call when he went down the steps and came to a stretch of road. Ten extravagant carriages like the Ace had said, laced in rich blue and pulled by idle horses, were waiting. Presumably, six were already filled.</p><p>"My lady, please keep it down." A man was standing outside the procession, dressed in blue robes as well. "Sir, what is your given number?"</p><p>"Er, <em>01310</em>," Arthur answered, skipping a beat. The man pulled out a small silver device, one that was the exact same shape and colour to the one that Ace Lovino was holding. With a poised finger, he did a dragging motion on the screen of the device, and after a few moments he snapped it shut and tucked it into his pocket.</p><p>"Welcome, Sir Arthur, to the Spades Deciding." he said, his back straightening. "Please alight onto carriage seven, we have an official on call to announce protocol if you need to. Otherwise, there are a section of papers that you may read on the way to the Spades palace to understand what this process requires of you."</p><p>Arthur nodded dumbly as he led him to the carriage and helped him get on, even though he tried his best to refuse. The seats were plush and a lighter shade of blue, and he crossed his legs and drew the curtains when the man was gone.</p><p>On the seat next to him lay a neat folder, marked with blue and white. Picking it up, he leafed through the contents. There were the standard things such as rules, and a printed copy of some of the basic laws. Most interestingly, there were a section of tips about how to handle the whole process.</p><p>
  <em>It is highly advised that you attend to all of the breakfasts, lunches and dinners served instead of taking them in your room. Even though you can eat alone if you wish, most interactions take place in the dining hall.</em>
</p><p>"Can't I just hole up in my room and have dinner up there?" Arthur asked himself. Being surrounded in a room of thirty people and the prince while they flirted and giggled instead of actually eating? No <em>thank you</em>.</p><p>"Sir?" he was interrupted by a knocking on his carriage door. "Is there something wrong? Do you need an official on call?"</p><p>"A-ah, I'm sorry! There's nothing wrong at all." Arthur yelped, embarrassed. Was he really that loud?</p><p>"Talking to himself? Is he crazy or what? Are these the kind of weirdoes I'm going to have to spend the next few months with?" he heard a girl grumble outside, and he heard the carriage creak behind him. She must be number eight…or nine? Given the speed of the process, number ten could be on the carriages by now.</p><p>He twisted his mouth into a scowl, and wished he could retaliate. Placing the folder back onto his lap, he was about to put the paper back in until he noticed a sentence, printed smaller at the bottom of the sheet.</p><p>
  <em>If the prince or princess asks for you, at any time and any place, it is highly recommended that you attend to him or her.</em>
</p><p>A chill ran down his back as he read it. What did they mean? Attend? How so?</p><p>His thoughts were rudely interrupted (again) with the commotion up front. All of a sudden, his carriage was moving, and he was left to wallow in the fact that he, of all people, had managed to enter the Deciding.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>let me know what you think :) i'd dearly love to improve my writing, so please go ahead and leave your thoughts.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Act 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kiku had already zipped on his scarlet jumpsuit for the night, his hands already preoccupied with thumbing through his comic. A cup of steaming green tea was sitting on his bedside table, his glasses rimmed firmly on his nose and his legs crossed elegantly.</p><p>Finishing the last page of his book, he folded the book neatly and reached for another one, his fingers catching on the hilt of the camera strap in his duffel bag, placed on the foot of the bedside table. The touch set off a set of embarrassing memories the teenager would have not liked to remember…</p><p>The day had started off weirdly enough, Kiku striking up a timid conversation with the brown haired boy, whose name was revealed to be Toris, and his friend, a boy named Feliks. The trio had stuck together through the trip, in which Feliks blabbered on about random topics and Toris pitched in from time to time politely, while Kiku was feverishly taking photos of the brief trip, inspired by the stunning sights, only pausing to answer a question posed directly at him, and apologizing feverishly, to which both boys reassured him that it was fine, and please, to stop apologizing, which naturally, drew out another flustered apology.</p><p>They had disbanded when they were allowed to roam the palace grounds for a few hours as a self induced tour, where Kiku had allowed himself to wander from his newly minted acquaintances to find new places to take pictures for his photo album. On the side, he was hoping to catch a glimpse of Heracles, who he was convinced was lurking in the palace walls, waiting to catch him alone.</p><p>The latter didn't have any luck, but he found several beautiful spots to take snapshots of, including the regal throne room, draped with luscious red velvet, and the glorious gardens, rows and rows of roses that were particularly red. He'd joined up with one of the girls, her black hair tied up in buns with two ribbons called Scarlet. They both shared a love of photography and history, and they toured the library and the small painting gallery, talking enthusiastically, more on her side, on the way. They discovered a brown haired girl with a fierce plum streak in her hair trailing behind them shyly when they moved to the gardens. Scarlet invited them to join them, and the girl introduced herself as Sophia. They then adjourned to the lavish music room, which Sophia read out from a plaque that the Jack Feliciano Vargas had a love for music he inherited from his mentors the Queen and Jack of Clubs Elizabeta and Roderich Edelstein, and that he had requested this room as a tribute of some sorts.</p><p>She proceeded to sit on the chair, Kiku and Scarlet perching precariously on the other sides of her while her pale fingers tickled the shiny white ivories of the piano. Her companions listened, spellbound. Kiku had remarked about how well she played, and Scarlet gushed about how she could teach her quite a few things about music. Sophia accepted the praise, blushing, and they split up after that, Scarlet clamouring for more of her friend's music and Kiku simply wanting to take more pictures and search for Heracles, turning around and taking a few snapshots of the two friends happily playing piano and admiring the ballroom.</p><p>Also attempting to fight back the thought of Arthur, he decided to throw himself into the activities of the day.</p>
<hr/><p>The first thought that occurred to Arthur was that compared to the rest of the Chosen, he might be kicked out - read romantically dismissed - before he could say <em>Deciding.</em></p><p>He already missed Kiku dearly, the comfort of his best friend having faded from his side already, to be replaced with caution as the official came into his carriage, papers in hand and an expression on her face that told Arthur that this protocol had been rehearsed before several times.</p><p>The carriage started moving, the sound of the horse's hooves matching Arthur's heartbeat.</p><p>"Number Seven of Hearts, is that correct?" she said after pulling the curtains in the carriage closed - for privacy, he assumed. At his nod, her expression lightened a little. "Good. Congratulations on being Chosen."</p><p>"Thank you," Arthur said awkwardly, dipping his head as he was not quite clear on how to respond.</p><p>"Right. Can I ask if you have found an extra slip of paper on the orientation notes? A sentence printed smaller than the others?"</p><p>"Yes, I have," Arthur said, "It said 'Do try to not deny the-"</p><p>"Yes, well, please ignore that," she said with a dismissive flick of her wrist, though Arthur could sense that she wasn't completely relaxed. "The usual meddling. It's meant to scare off Chosen candidates, I suppose – we discovered the breach only this morning. Tampering with the process is a pastime of the Joker rebels - such a similar tactic was used with the Clubs, apparently. It means nothing."</p><p>"A-All right," Arthur said awkwardly, feeling his shoulders shake along with the carriage. "Will they be a problem-"</p><p>"Child, we are going to the castle of Spades, not some youth hostel," she said, sounding almost bored as she lifted her clipboard closer to her face. "There is nothing to fear, largely."</p><p><em>Largely</em>, Arthur muttered to himself internally, but decided to not push her further as she looked through his papers. Closing his eyes a little, he allowed himself to wonder about Kiku's predicament. How was he faring? Was he at the Hearts palace already?</p><p>"You've been with the holding facilities since you were eight, I see," she said, half to herself and half to him. "I'm reading your initial report from your date of entry. There is an introductory segment every Deciding, letting us know about the candidates, and it is my duty to create one that suits your needs."</p><p>Arthur could only nod in his confusion - he had some sort of memory of it from Erin's intrigue, but nothing past that. He'd always imagined going to university, finding a job in the Inner Circles and hopefully saving enough to move his family as well, but as a Deciding candidate?</p><p>Who knew whether he could return to his old life?</p><p>He rested his forehead against the glass and shut his eyes, enjoying the coolness of the surface and relieved that the curtains were drawn from the outside instead of the inside. He had a gut feeling that he should cherish what little privacy yet, now she'd mentioned television.</p><p>He could almost see those offending lights now. Coaxing him forward and asking him endlessly for details about his personal life with a guy he'd just met...</p><p>Well, Arthur was lucky to be able to read a paper or two, and even though there wasn't a television in his and Kiku's room, there was one at the commons room of the whole block, so they did sneak in a few glances when they could. That little warning he'd gotten from his experience was pretty indispensable.</p><p>Occasionally he'd invite his family over to watch the television since they owned a ridiculously small one at home that could barely handle videos and CDs, so for Erin's sake he'd try to arrange a time for her to watch some Deciding coverage.</p><p>Already, he'd been asked about an introduction…</p><p>"How long is it?"</p><p>"Around a minute," she replied, "There's a lot of you to go through - thirty, in fact - so obviously we can't let it drag on for too long."</p><p>"Let what drag on for so long?" Arthur asked, hoping it wasn't-</p><p>"The television spot, naturally." Never mind. "You'll be speaking after your initial introduction we'll have in the Drawing Room within the palace. Now, I'd recommend you rest for a while. The carriage ride takes around an hour and a half to the palace, so you should probably settle in."</p><p><em>I'll settle in as well as I possibly can, </em>Arthur thought to himself, but folded his arms and reclined a little on the plush seat, closing his eyes. Almost immediately, questions started swirling in his mind – what would the area look like, what did this room she had mentioned look like, would the palace look completely different in person, would...</p><p>He lost consciousness faster than he expected.</p>
<hr/><p>Alfred's floor length mirror was fogged up by his melting hot breath around six, when he was adjusting his dark mauve tie, fingers flailing on the knot before tugging it around his neck with a firm movement that was too tight for just a moment. His fingers scrabbled underneath his pressed white collar, straightening it out before he moved on to fixing his suit. He'd left it unbuttoned since it was still the summer, but then what if Yao thought it scruffy? Alfred had already spent around half an hour helping his maid fuss over his tie…</p><p>"Your Highness, twenty minutes until we go live," his lady in waiting called, eyes roving over his schedule as she waited near his door. "We must be going now."</p><p>"Y-Yeah, sorry," Alfred mumbled, ducking his head. He quickly slipped on his pressed shoes and followed her, doing his best to appear cool and uncaring – he <em>wished</em>. "It's just an interview and stuff, right?"</p><p>"Pretty much, as well as a short discussion about the Chosen, both individually and as a whole. It's nothing heavy, just give your opinions and answer the questions honestly and correctly, understand?"</p><p>"Right," Alfred replied, stuffing his hands in his pockets and trying not to overthink it again. He nodded to the various maids and butlers that were feverishly tidying up the palace for the Deciding, but otherwise stayed silent, running through hundreds of conversations that would never make sense anywhere except his head.</p>
<hr/><p>"Oh, you actually made it," Matthew said by way of greeting when Alfred made his way to the Broadcast room, his lady in waiting giving him one last check before breaking off to talk to a small gaggle of advisors, their red pins catching onto the lights of the studio as they conversed. "I thought that you'd never make it down here after this morning."</p><p>"Don't tease, Matt," Alfred replied, but touched his twin's arm to remind him that he was slouching again. "Is Yao here yet?"</p><p>"Your nervousness is showing all over your face," he said drily, "I don't think you want to be nervous tonight. Do some breathing, okay?"</p><p>"Isn't that what I'm doing right now?" Alfred grinned, throwing his arm over Matthew's shoulders. "In, out, all that good stuff.</p><p>"Fates, don't give me that snark," Matthew sighed, folding his arms. "You told me all about it this morning. Just keep your cool and don't think about anything else. The mask thing you're going for."</p><p>"Yeah. Uh, where are the advisors sitting tonight?" Alfred asked, ducking his head and keeping his voice down as his eyes darted to look at the group with his lady in waiting, pushing away his nervousness.</p><p>"Since there's a lot of people coming to watch this live tonight, they're being moved farther away. I put in a word for that, don't worry," Matthew said, his hardened expression softening a little. "If you need anything, just look at me and Yao, okay? Katya's finished her work for now, so you can watch out for her as well. We're on your side, so relax. Tell them your side of the story. As if you're doing the interview with the three of us, eh?"</p><p>"Fingers crossed they won't ask for anything too fancy."</p><p>"Alfred, it's mostly entertainment, and you know that. They're not going to ask you for a rundown of how the country's functioning. Yao's already up there."</p><p>"...okay," Alfred said, sighing and pushing his shoulders backwards until his shoulder blades met, "Thanks for the pep talk, Matt."</p><p>"You're welcome, Al," Matthew said, waiting until Alfred removed his arm before squeezing his hand once. "Good luck up there."</p><p><em>I'm going to need it</em>, Alfred thought nervously as he adjusted his cufflinks and squinted amongst the bright lights of the studio.</p>
<hr/><p>"So as you all know, tonight in three kingdoms the Deciding started - but unfortunately, we're not here to discuss Clubs and Hearts. With the man of the hour, we're here to talk about the Spades tonight," Yao said to both the camera and the visiting audience, more than usual. "This year, we'll be giving you a glimpse of the thirty candidates before they arrive tomorrow morning! But of course, we would love to know the thoughts going through the golden boy of Cards' head. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming Prince Alfred!"</p><p>Alfred put on his best smile and waved cheerfully to the audience, greeting Yao before carefully lowering himself onto his plush chair (no more slouching).</p><p>"Thanks for having me, even though you didn't exactly have a choice."</p><p>Laughs echoed around the room. <em>Did I do that right?</em></p><p>"By the Fates, Prince Alfred, you're not that terrible," Yao said, smiling a little. "Go on, then. You've taken a look at the candidates and given your thoughts on them - is there anyone you remember that might have been chosen?"</p><p>"Uh, I've talked with you, Matthew and Joker Katya about what I should look for, as well as some of the advisors," Alfred started, "And they all said I needed someone to balance me out, for the two of us to make a good king and queen. Someone who's a lot more smart and doesn't rush into stuff like I do. I guess that's why I decided to serve so much time in the military…"</p><p><em>Oh no. Self deprecating humour. That's not charming- </em>he panicked internally, though the audience seemed to be amused.</p><p>"Don't be so hard on yourself," Yao replied, touching his forearm, subconsciously causing Alfred to pick up his smile in return. "You've served your country in more ways because of that. But I'm interested to know - what are you looking for in a partner?"</p><p>"Oh," Alfred said, and instantly blushed - to his half embarrassment, half relief, the audience merely cooed at his cute expression. It would probably go into a magazine tomorrow morning. "I...I haven't really given it a thought before this…"</p><p>"Isn't that sweet?" Yao said, clearly trying to amp up the moment of appeal to the enthusiasm of the crowd. "There's got to be something you're looking out for, though. The Deciding could help you, but do you have a small idea? Some characteristics?"</p><p>"I guess," Alfred said, rubbing the small of his back, "But I don't want to discourage anyone applying before they're even here, so things can change. I know that once I get to know all of them, my mind will think of different things, maybe different people. Again, I won't say I'm anything but inexperienced in love. Being a royal hasn't really given me any time to be dating around, so I'm glad that the Deciding will give me a chance."</p><p>
  <em>Was that too forced? The audience seems pleased, though, so I guess it's okay. But I haven't really answered his question.</em>
</p><p>"<em>Uh</em>, that's to say," Alfred said, trying not to stumble over his words as he realized his mistake, "I'd want someone that would see me as their equal, not greater than them just because I was born into this position. I also like someone to speak what's on their mind, and not hold back. Other than that, I'm very much open to anyone."</p><p>"Does gender play any role in your choice?" <em>Again, a kind of loaded question...since I guess people around Cards are tuning in, I should stand firm.</em></p><p>"No, of course not," Alfred said, sitting up in his chair a little more. "If you're talking about queen, that's not a concern of mine - and if it's about a partner, absolutely not. It doesn't - and won't - matter to me."</p><p>Light applause from the audience. Alfred allowed himself to exhale once, then turned back his attention away from keeping himself perfect and to Matthew, who gave him a thumbs up down in the audience. Katya was sitting next to him, who smiled a little in his direction, causing his shoulders to relax.</p><p>"How do you feel about their arrival tomorrow morning?" Yao asked, after the applause had died down. "Feelings, thoughts?"</p><p>"Nervous, mostly," Alfred admitted, leaning a little forward and placing his hands between his legs in a clasped motion. "Even though I know they're kind of supposed to impress me, I want to impress them too. You know, with my horseback riding skills and my bad jokes."</p><p>Laughs from the audience again – <em>yay</em>! Alfred half wished for the camera to count his knowing smirk as the money shot so that he could retire to his room and spend eight hours staring up at the wall wondering what in the name of the Fates he was gonna do. He couldn't exactly fish out his pocket watch and stare at it in front of a few million people.</p><p>"As harsh on yourself as always, my prince," Yao laughed, garnering a similar reaction from the audience, and possibly the numerous people around a television set. <em>Are the parents of my future partner watching now</em>? Alfred wondered. "Would you want to have a live reaction to the ones Chosen?"</p><p>"Yeah, sure, if the audience doesn't mind," Alfred said, giving both the seated audience and the camera a winning smile, throwing a wink in for good measure. <em>Money shot done</em>. <em>Please?</em></p><p>"In that case, please give us a few minutes to let us set up the screen for your viewing pleasure," Yao said, and as soon as the cameras had come down he nodded once at Alfred, reaching over to pat his knee, ponytail falling over his shoulder.</p><p>"Good work, Alfred," he said in a low voice – even though the microphones had shut down for a few moments, it would be best to only be heard as background noise. "If I was a viewer I wouldn't suspect you were nervous at all."</p><p>"You're the man, Yao," Alfred grinned, placing his hand over his mentor's. "Fates, I hope I don't look too ugly when I see all the people I already don't deserve."</p><p>"Alfred, my boy, honestly," Yao replied, pursuing his mouth for a moment. "Even though the Deciding is marketed as entertainment, for me it's mainly for you to find someone you love. You can be taught to be a royal, but love can't be instructed - so that's why I want you to look for that before you look for a queen."</p><p>"Like Mom and Dad wanted," Alfred said, his chin dipping for a moment, eyes glassing over. Yao took the opportunity to wrap him in a hug, hands slowly rubbing his back as years of helping to raise the princes had taught him to. Alfred twitched a little at the pleased response of the audience, but gladly accepted his comfort.</p><p>"I know for a fact that you deserve these people - some might not even deserve you, really," Yao said, head only up to Alfred's ears but still managing to meet his eyes. "You'll do a lot better than you imagine. I promise."</p><p>"Even with all the time I spent in the military?"</p><p>"Who doesn't love a rugged soldier?" Yao countered, raising an elegant eyebrow. "You're surely aware how popular you are in Spades alone."</p><p>"Thanks, Yao," Alfred replied, giving his mentor a squeeze. He hoped the wobble in his voice could start to tell him how much his support had meant to him over the years. "<em>Would</em> you like to tell me, though?"</p><p>"Don't push it, little one," Yao snorted, returning the squeeze before detaching from him. "Right, we'd best be off. Back to work."</p><p>The lights came back up, then Alfred steeled himself for the hardest job tonight.</p>
<hr/><p>Arthur woke up to a dark, empty carriage.</p><p>There were small, soft murmurs lingering at the back of his subconscious, exclamations and conversations tied up in each other as he scrambled to sit with his back to the carriage, a little disoriented due to the darkness. The carriage had stopped moving, but his official was nowhere to be seen, and the doors were still shut.</p><p>Since the distance between kingdoms was so great that it could not be quickly crossed within a few hours even by chartered plane, the Clubs and Diamonds candidates usually arrived into the afternoon of the next day, so the Deciding didn't actually officially start until tomorrow. Good for Arthur, who just wanted to take a bath and sleep.</p><p>He sat there, awkwardly, feet pressed together and eyes reflecting the glass pane that sat in front of the carriage to protect the drivers – even they were gone now – before someone knocked at his door and flatly ushered him out. Arthur winced a little at the squeak as it opened, but was relieved to have some sort of direction so he didn't feel completely lost.</p><p>"Sir Arthur, is that correct?" a guard, from the looks of his blue and white uniform, was the one to greet him as he left the carriage in such a way that their old etiquette professor would not approve of. Without even waiting for an answer, he handed Arthur a clipboard and gave him nod. "Please make your way into the palace and follow the other Chosen for the induction. Thank you for your service to the monarchy."</p><p><em>I haven't even done anything yet, but all right, </em>Arthur thought to himself, but thanked the guard and made his way to the vast structure, which dwarfed him in size alone. He'd seen it in pictures pinned up on boards and printed on textbooks – there hadn't been an authorised visit for obvious reasons – but it compared little to what he saw in real life. At least that was a question answered.</p><p>Though the sky was completely dark, it only served to make the palace shine even brighter in its midst. Truly, there was no need to spare any expense – even if not every room was lit up, the outside bedazzled without failure. Arthur himself couldn't help gawking whilst he ascended the steps as even studying and watching the structure couldn't measure up to real life.</p><p>Feeling more that intimidated, he followed the seven people ahead of him into a lavish entrance – even though it felt like it would swallow him up, those golden gates would look exquisite doing so.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>let me know what you think :) i'd dearly love to improve my writing, so please go ahead and leave your thoughts.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Act 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>they finally meet this chapter :) please let me know if the publishing speed is too fast. the chapters now have much more substance, so they'll be released one at a time.</p>
<p>anna - seychelles</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The bleary morning sun rose in the room, and Arthur's eyes were as well to match them.</p>
<p>Was it really already the sunrise? He wondered how Kiku was doing.</p>
<p>Arthur hoped he was doing well.</p>
<p>He decided to start the day as usual - Kiku was always out and about at least an hour before Arthur, so it was eerily quiet, but he would always go to the toilet uninterrupted, so he did just that. Arthur tried to convince himself that it was the same as his usual routine, but there was a strange emptiness that was offset by his best friend's now lost presence.</p>
<p>Taking a quick shower, which was needed to get rid of his bleary eyes, he used his old, homely shampoo, which Kiku always used to complain smelled overwhelmingly of roses. Hurriedly brushing his teeth and even more quickly brushing his hair - it always stayed ruffled and messy, too many people always mistook it for a bedhead whatever he did - he pulled on the outfit he wore to the first day because his wardrobe was empty.</p>
<p>In the midst of him glaring at his own reflection in the mirror on the desk, there was a knock on the door.</p>
<p>"Oh - come in, come in!" he said, giving his face another impatient tug – when had that crease gotten there? Did he sleep on the wrong side of the bed again?</p>
<p>The door creaked open, and a girl with dark skin and brown hair tied into a bun entered, one hand on the door, one hand clutching a hamper basket. Arthur could tell that she was apprehensive, so he attempted to relax a little in his chair.</p>
<p>"Hello, Sir…Arthur?" she said slowly, placing down the basket behind the door and doing a curtsy. "I-"</p>
<p>"Yes, that's me," Arthur blurted, then apologised quickly as he realised he'd interrupted her. Even though he had attended a holding facility, he hadn't been aided by a maid. "It's very nice to meet you. And you, er, are?"</p>
<p>"My name is Anna, and I'll be your maid for the duration of your stay in the palace. I've been assigned to aid you." Her hands were fidgeting behind her back already, though she looked him firmly in the eyes. "Is there any assistance you need at the moment?"</p>
<p>"Oh, I...it's very nice to meet you, Anna. About assistance, er, there's no work for now...it's fine."</p>
<p>"Are you sure there isn't?" she asked, sounding taken aback. "There's no need to be shy, Sir Arthur. What about, perhaps, your things that needs to be unpacked?"</p>
<p>"Not sure about you, but my unpacking methods include only taking them out when I need them. No wonder why I lose things all the time." he joked awkwardly.</p>
<p>To his relief, she laughed, nodding along. "Ah, Sir Arthur, this is going to be an interesting clash of personalities. I'm constantly chastised by my fellow maids that I'm overly heavy on the details."</p>
<p>"I could use some of that - I wonder if we spend enough time, that's going to rub off on me?"</p>
<p>"I do hope I'll be of use to you that way as well," she smiled. Sure, there had been an ample amount of hesitation between them, but there was a mischievous glint in her eye that reminded Arthur dearly of his family.</p>
<p>They began to talk again, but she took a glance at the clock above his desk and sighed.</p>
<p>"Sir Arthur, I have to cut this short, but I'm needed downstairs for prep, and I believe there's an event you must attend to soon. I'll trust that you'll call for me if you need anything?"</p>
<p>"No, I'm all right," Arthur responded, peeking at the time – she was right, he would be needed in the Drawing Room in half an hour. "Thank you very much for your assistance – the room looks pristine." <em>At least, I'm assuming she did...</em></p>
<p>"That's good, the room took an age to prepare," she grinned, clearly very proud of herself as she picked up her hamper basket. "Though there's something I have to mention – your closet is empty for now as you'll be undergoing fittings and whatnot today."</p>
<p>"Thank you for notifying me, Anna. Erm, I assume I'll be busy, so we'll meet tomorrow?"</p>
<p>"Yes, of course – though if you need me, don't feel shy about calling on me. Be back tomorrow!" Anna replied, nodding to him before she walked out of his room, a skip in her step.</p>
<p>Arthur watched her go with an amused smile on his face before resuming his nervous scrutiny.</p><hr/>
<p>As soon as he got to the Drawing Room, he realised that a majority of the people had arrived early. He noticed that even though essentially everyone had been assigned the same outfit, some were attempting to stand out with other parts of their appearance. One of them was arguing with one of the servants already, looking more agitated with every second, three people were already talking next to the windows. Standing in their midst, was a familiar shade of hair. After walking a little closer, to his surprise he realised that it belonged to Natalya, the girl he met whilst in line.</p>
<p>"Guess competition's heating up quickly." one of the girls commented as Arthur got closer, clasping and unclasping her blossom shaped locket. "</p>
<p>"And Prince Alfred isn't even here yet!" one of the boys, his hands pulling at his red tie. "Neither are the candidates from Diamonds and Clubs. It's a little odd."</p>
<p>"I wonder what's so special about Prince Alfred that has everyone swooning before he's even in the room." Natalya sighed, her eyes scanning the room until they came to rest on an apprehensive Arthur. "Oh – so you made it, after all." For some reason, she didn't seem nearly as surprised as Arthur was.</p>
<p>"Somehow," Arthur replied, not sure how to react. "Er – nice to meet you, everyone, my name's Arthur."</p>
<p>"Nice to meet you, I'm Mei." The girl speaking had a most distinct necklace that she wore, and she looked at Arthur with big eyes. "It's great to meet you!"</p>
<p>"Mark," the other boy in the group said. The most noticeable trait was the splattering of freckles on the bridge of his nose, and his hair was almost as mussed as Arthur's, though he had a foreboding expression that made him come off as intimidating. "Say, the two of you met before?"</p>
<p>"Partly," Natalya said, folding her arms. "We're both from Hearts."</p>
<p>Before Arthur could add something, or the other two could ask more questions, there was a small commotion at the entrance of the Drawing Room.</p>
<p>"Hey guys, here he comes!" someone cried.</p>
<p>Arthur turned to face the entrance, and Jack Yao strode out confidently, his long, blue sleeves billowing. Behind him came the Ace Matthew, his figure slightly hunched, and having his polar bear trail him, but he was his usual Ace garb outfit, a shy smile decorating his face. Seeing him made Arthur remember the bizarre encounter with Joker Gilbert, though sobering up did nothing to prepare him for the last person, as the person leading the rear was Prince Alfred himself.</p>
<p>It was hard for him to even tell that the smiling, handsome prince was the same one that he'd studied about and seen plastered on the news everywhere. He had a sense of regality surrounding him, only enhanced by the getup he was wearing. Prince Alfred was wearing a blue suit, tie and all, with a loose trench coat bearing the Spades symbol. On his neck hung a clock in the shape of a Spade. When it was out in a room as vast as this, it seemed to shine brighter, catching the light of the chandelier. Something about him made Arthur stare.</p>
<p>There was certainly a buzz as soon as they entered. Nervous giggles erupted around the room, Mei flushed a little, and Arthur could even hear a loud, dreamy sigh. Arthur didn't feel any sort of shock, but was impressed nonetheless.</p>
<p>"Nice clock Prince Alfred's got there." Mark commented, and Arthur had to agree, but not diverting his glance from Alfred's face.</p>
<p>"Hello, everyone! As you may all know, I'm Prince Alfred, and it's very nice to meet you all! But first, please eat your breakfast - I'm looking forward to chatting with you all later!" Alfred began, tone brandishing confidence, somehow knowing that everyone's gazes were fixated on him.</p>
<p>Arthur would have liked to lie and say that he was immune, but lying didn't come as naturally to him as he would have liked it to.</p><hr/>
<p>As they were all led into the vast dining hall, and sat down, chattering amongst themselves, Alfred started on his cereal, but he couldn't hold his spoon without having his hands tremble. Hopefully no one noticed.</p>
<p>"Relax, Al, you've got this. You're holding up very well, having all those eyes fixated on you," Matthew encouraged, digging into his heap of pancakes with a fountain of maple syrup, though he was thinking about what Gilbert had told him. Speaking to his friend in the holding facilities...who would he be?</p>
<p>"He's right, you're doing very well, Alfred. I remember my mother told me a story about your father - on his first day, he tripped when he was entering the room!" Yao smiled, his knife deftly spreading some butter on his toast. He raised his voice a little, as to gauge who was trying to tune into their conversations, and for the newly installed cameramen. It garnered some smiles.</p>
<p>"Really? Father tripped?" Alfred asked, now rather interested, Matthew leaning in closer.</p>
<p>"Yes. He was too busy going very red at everyone's stares and he spun around and landed on the floor, and all the girls swarmed around him, trying to help him up! He was terrified! Chun-Yan had to help him up, it was so funny!" he laughed, deferring to the late Jack of Spades, his mother.</p>
<p>"That sounds like some sorta omen..." Alfred said nervously, but he managed to put a spoonful of cornflakes and chew.</p>
<p>"I don't know how to act amongst the rest of the Primary Suits, so I can't imagine how much harder it must be with a group of strangers." Matthew said lightly, patting his brother on the back. "Promise. You're doing quite well."</p>
<p>"I trust you, but...what if everyone turns their noses up at me just because I don't know about...anything?"</p>
<p>"Nonsense, everyone already loves you, I'm certain. Did you see the small cluster before we just came in? I felt like everyone was already swooning as soon as you entered."</p>
<p>"Yeah, uh..." Alfred flushed a little, thinking of the girl with dark bangs. "One of them was…her name was Sakura, I think. I was doing some last minute memorisation, so." he trailed off.</p>
<p>"You've already memorized her name? I'm impressed, Al." Matthew teased, but internally felt a worm of relief. At least he wasn't completely despairing about the batch he chose.</p>
<p>"Well, there's at least something," Yao said, "but if you really like her, you should make friends with her. Get to know her better, and do the same for the other candidates. This Deciding is your choice, and yours alone, Alfred."</p>
<p>Alfred nodded, remaining silent for a moment before spearing his fork playfully in Matthew's strawberry and biting into it. This garnered some fond looks. "After we enjoy breakfast, though."</p>
<p>"Alfred..." Matthew grumbled, though it was largely half hearted. Maybe he should have done some research, so he could have identified the 'Arthur' person this morning.</p><hr/>
<p>"As many of you have noticed, not everyone is able to join us as of right now owing to the fact that geographically, Clubs and Diamonds are quite far away. As a result, we've decided to have Alfred meet you in batches, so that there is more time to get to know one another. Afterwards, please come to Ace Matthew and I outside the Drawing Room to pick up your orientation pack and information. Understood?"</p>
<p>"Yes, Jack Yao," everyone said in unison as soon as the plates had been cleaned and the table rendered spotless once more. Alfred stood, and twenty odd pairs of eyes fixated on him. He appeared to take a deep breath before speaking, and when he did their attentions were firmly fixed on him.</p>
<p>"I hope everyone enjoyed their breakfast," Alfred smiled, causing the room to murmur their agreements. "I'm glad to hear it! Chairs have been set out outside of the Drawing Room, so I can have some private time with each and every one of you. I'll be going by the Spades kingdom first in alphabetical order, first names, so please sit in that order."</p>
<p>That was why Arthur managed to get himself into the very start of the Hearts line. There wasn't a clock in the foyer where they all sat, so he sat there with a slightly bloated stomach that didn't do any favours for him when one by one, the people in front of him left to speak with the prince.</p>
<p>What would the prince be like in person? Arthur suspected that there was something more to him than the person they saw on television – <em>surely </em>no one could look like that and have a perfect personality to boot. Or maybe that just was the requirement of a royal person? What if they ran out of things to say and just sat awkwardly in their seats until the attendants asked him politely to exit the room?</p>
<p>Forget exiting the <em>room</em>, what about the entire Deciding? He knew that putting in a word, or even discussing Heracles would be out of the question by then, but what about the strange conversation with the Joker Gilbert? Would he ask someone else to keep an eye on Ace Matthew? Would he be able to notify Kiku? Would he go straight back home, or be offered something else by the holding facility, or-</p>
<p>He felt a light tap on the shoulder, administered by a girl whose hair was pulled back into a neat bun. "I'm sorry, but maybe you should move up the line."</p>
<p>"Sorry, I'm just...a little nervous," Arthur said, before remembering his manners. "Arthur, by the way. It's nice to meet you too."</p>
<p>"I'm Avie, you as well," came the response. "I think we were in the same holding facility. Weren't you one of the highest ranking students in the final year scores for magic? Kirkland, right?"</p>
<p>"That might be me, yes," Arthur replied – hoping that not that many people would pick up on their conversation, jealousy was the last thing he'd need. "Fifth, I think – though I don't think we were in the same class."</p>
<p>"No worries, I just read it on the bulletin. No pressure, though. Grats on entering the competition," she said, and offered him a genuine smile that Arthur was more than grateful to return. If somehow he managed to stay, it was nice to see that someone had a similar experience to him.</p>
<p>"You as well-"</p>
<p>"Sir Arthur, is that correct?" someone opened the door, looking directly into the line of people outside. "You're up next."</p><hr/>
<p>Alfred wasn't quite sure what to expect before Arthur Kirkland came into the room. Well, that would be a half truth, because he'd gone through the selection process and picked him out, but there had been a lot of surprises today, both pleasant and not so pleasant. The port only included so much information about the Deciding candidates; it couldn't gauge their compatibility. Alfred had already garnered three people that he wasn't sure would suit either the role of Queen or as his partner.</p>
<p>Though there was one thing he had to remind himself of especially when meeting him...</p>
<p>
  <em>Don't laugh at the eyebrows, don't stare at the eyebrows, don't make fun of the eyebrows, don't mention the eyebrows, and don't breathe about the eyebrows.</em>
</p>
<p>He was more than qualified, came from a holding facility, had serious potential for magic, applied only to Spades, not to mention looked quite cute, but...those eyebrows didn't fail to make Alfred laugh every time, just a little. As in how did he manage to get them so bushy, how he managed to keep them, how-</p>
<p>Door's opening. <em>Shut up, </em>Alfred reminded himself, twisting his fingers in his inner shirt. Keep it together, he'd have nine of them left after him – not to mention, names he'd had to keep in mind, questions he'd had to ask-</p>
<p>"Your Highness, Arthur Kirkland from Hearts," came the attendant's voice, shaking Alfred out of his carefully curated routine. There was a small shuffle of feet, and then Arthur Kirkland appeared.</p>
<p>What first came to mind was that Arthur was very composed. Alfred had heard many squeals, or exclamations of excitement, or simple gasps, he couldn't hear anything from the other boy in the room other than a sharp intake of breath. Was he as nervous as Alfred was?</p>
<p>Arthur sat down in the seat opposite Alfred, and took a deep breath. Somehow...the guy was cuter in real life. Something about his lips that made Alfred want to stare...then there was the slight pink on his cheeks...then those <em>eyes</em>, damn...then moving up his face-</p>
<p>Alfred completely forgot all the mental training he'd prepped himself for and burst into laughter.</p><hr/>
<p>Arthur did not sputter. He simply didn't. It was rude and ungentlemanly, but when the literal crown prince, future king of Spades, started laughing, he couldn't help but gawk.</p>
<p>Oh Fates. This was it. He'd better start packing his bags. Good lord – being eliminated like <em>this</em>? Arthur desperately hoped that the walls were sound proof, because he was more than tempted to yell a series of very ungentlemanly swears. Thank the Fates that these weren't recorded, because he would be the laughingstock of not only Spades, but Cards-</p>
<p>"Oh, Sir Arthur, I'm so sorry," Prince Alfred spluttered. He removed his glasses, wiped them, and faced him again. "I'm really sorry. What I meant to-"</p>
<p>"You could just eliminate me right now," Arthur bristled indignantly, getting up from his seat. "I just did not expect this sort of uncouth behaviour from a future king, that is all. Say it now and I will gratefully leave this room."</p>
<p>He regretted his small outburst almost immediately, though he really did feel indignant. <em>Good lord, I've gone too far</em>.<em> Palace guards are going to show up and maul me</em>-</p>
<p>Laughing – again?! He was tempted to start throwing his chair. "No...not at all," Alfred laughed, wiping off tears in his eyes. "Oh man, I'm just the worst, aren't I? You're completely right, Sir Arthur."</p>
<p><em>Oh...man? </em>Arthur gaped; his mouth a perfect <em>o</em>. Is<em> this prince real? Has he not received any coaching in manners? What sort of behaviour is this?</em></p>
<p>"Let's just start over, yeah?" Arthur felt the prince reach out for his arm, though thankfully he paused and clumsily rerouted it to the chair, patting it once. <em>Ha, </em>Arthur grumbled, <em>serves you right. </em>"Please, Sir Arthur, sit. If you wish to remain, of course."</p>
<p>It had been an exceedingly awkward minute, but Arthur decided to humour him nonetheless. <em>Not </em>that it had to do with the smile on his face, but just so he'd avoid being sent home in a most humiliating fashion. It would be quite unpleasant for his journey to end, at least like this.</p>
<p>"Your Highness, I must ask – what have I done to offend you and cause you to laugh in such a manner?" Arthur huffed, unable to hide his dissatisfaction. "I did not even speak for you to deliver such a judgement."</p>
<p>"It was a mistake. It's just, well...with the awkward silence at the start, and from what I've garnered from you from examining your profile, it's just that you're not what I expected," Alfred said. Arthur hunted for some sort of insincerity, or a mocking tone, but found none of that.</p>
<p>"Not to mention, I've never commanded the attention of so many exquisite people in a day, so I've had quite a few embarrassing mishaps like this, so to speak. With all honesty, Sir Arthur, you've done nothing but be gracious to my foolish self. Is there anything I can do to repay you?"</p>
<p><em>Who's this person? </em>Arthur thought internally, feeling even more frazzled. Gone was the boy king; in place was a future monarch. Surprisingly, though, it did not deter him, rather brew a tentative intrigue. Perhaps there was more to Prince Alfred than he really thought?</p>
<p>Pushing away his confusion, he spoke. "Erm, I can't possibly think of a favour, but...it may be a tall order to ask, but is there anything you could possibly due for drafted people?”</p>
<p>Arthur watched his reaction nervously, but to his dismay Alfred frowned.</p>
<p>“Oh, I...Sir Arthur, is there someone you have that was drafted this year?”</p>
<p>“Yes, Your Highness, a close friend. I was wondering if it was...possible.”</p>
<p>“Well, if I could then I’d love to assist in your request, but...” Alfred trailed off, adjusting his collar. “The management of the drafted troops lies with my advisorship, especially since our battalion must go to the Easterns this year. That I cannot change. I apologise, Sir Arthur.”</p>
<p>“Ah.” Internally dreading the letter he’d have to write, as well as concern for Heracles going to the blasted Easterns of all places, Arthur tried to ignore the cold fear running through his spine. “Thank you for hearing me out, Your Highness. I was just wondering.”</p>
<p>“No worries, Sir Arthur. Would you like a moment?” Prince Alfred said, his tone turning gentle and touching Arthur’s hand, sending up a jolt of electricity through their contact point. “If you’d like to step out, we could continue this later-”</p>
<p>“I’ll be quite all right, thank you. I was just wondering, though I was prepared for this answer,” His head dithering, Arthur straightened himself. <em>Pull yourself together</em>. “Though...I would like to start again, since this conversation we’ve been having has been less than exemplary on my end, Your Highness. If we have the time, of course. If that’s not an excessive favour to ask."</p>
<p>Alfred smiled again, something that seemed to make Arthur's stomach uneasy – he was not sure if it was in a good or a bad way. "I, uh, that's not a favour at all. I owe you that little...though if you can't think of a favour for now, you can hold me to it later, yeah?"</p>
<p>"Later? As in, later in the competition? I thought you were poised to eliminate me," Arthur said. Though he wasn't wholly convinced that the prince had started laughing just because of nerves, he'd decided to pick his battles especially when the Deciding had just started. Even if he couldn’t save Kiku’s beloved, it wasn’t as if he were counting himself out entirely. "As in, right this instant."</p>
<p>"No, no – not at all, Sir Arthur." After seeing Arthur visibly relax, Alfred decided to divert back to his usual programming, seeing he'd already screwed it up so badly, and wasn’t able to assist the Chosen candidate. "So, you're from the holding facilities, correct? In Hearts."</p>
<p>"Yes, the one by the West Bank, near the Inner Circle. I applied when I was very young, to support my family." he said. Excellent, a simple question, something to stop himself from seething or brooding over Kiku’s unwritten letter. At least, he assumed that the other candidates would be quite candid about why they chose to sign up to be in the holding facilities, and he had no reason to lie about anything.</p>
<p>"That's admirable, Sir Arthur," Alfred replied – was that a hint of genuine admiration in his expression? – "Can I ask, do they live in Spades? Or Hearts?"</p>
<p>"I think for now, yes," Arthur said, "Though when I applied, we were living in the Hearts region, so that's the reason I come from there instead."</p>
<p>Alfred nodded once, his eye contact unwavering. Arthur took this as a good sign – after what had happened, he'd <em>better </em>have commanded his full attention. "Could you tell me a little more about them?"</p>
<p>"Well..." Arthur said, thinking back to the last time he was permitted to go home, "My parents are no longer with us, but there's six of us siblings, including me. I have an older brother, Allistor, an older sister, Erin, then there's Christian and Cormac. There's me, then the youngest, Dylan."</p>
<p>He paused for a moment, waiting for the usual hum of sympathy that he would instantly deflect, but it didn't come. Of course, Prince Alfred had lost his parents as well. Perhaps he knew the feeling better than he'd expected him to.</p>
<p>"Woah, that's a massive family. Is it a headache when you go home to visit?"</p>
<p>"Yes, if you could imagine," Arthur replied, letting the first semblance of a smile slip from his mouth. "I'm used to living in a quiet area, as my roommate and I didn't make much noise, but we're quite a rowdy bunch when put together, my family and I. I'm not permitted to visit them much, but when I do it's always a good time. Though I must admit, it's a lot of us shouting at each other."</p>
<p>"That sounds nice," Alfred said. Something in his voice was wistful, exacerbated as he continued to talk. "I'm sure you've guessed, but the palace is pretty quiet most of the time. There's only so many hours you can fill in with studying and listening to everyone in court, not to mention only being able to leave for only a super small amount of time."</p>
<p>Hm. Arthur was surprised that there appeared to be a lack of things for Prince Alfred to do in an establishment as vast as the Spadian palace. Only being there for less than twenty four hours made him feel as if he were enclosed in a vast maze without an exit, though he did somewhat understand the feeling of not being able to leave. Even though they were allowed to leave the holding facilities on the weekends only, the early days of being able to roam around freely before he'd entered had frustrated him when he was young.</p>
<p>"I do see that, though..." Arthur hesitated before asking. "Can I ask – during your free time, what <em>do </em>you do? As in hobbies, interests, activities...?"</p>
<p>For some reason, this seemed to take Alfred aback. <em>Surely it's not rude to ask the prince about his hobbies, </em>Arthur thought. <em>Or did I miss out that rule when I was asleep?</em></p>
<p>"...er, I do not wish to offend-"</p>
<p>"No, no," Alfred said quickly, shaking his head. Arthur's eyes tracked the small cowlick bouncing as he did so, though they darted back down to his face if not to appear rude. "It's just that I haven't really talked about that with anyone else, you know? Everyone else is so interesting that I've just wanted to talk about themselves, but..."</p>
<p>"Oh," <em>Is this appropriate? Speaking about his interactions with the other Chosen? </em>Though Arthur wasn't exactly incredibly surprised; Prince Alfred's behaviour wasn't exactly orthodox as it was already. "I do want to hear about your hobbies, Your Highness. Truly."</p>
<p>"Okay, I'm glad to talk about them," Alfred said, tilting his head to one side. Though Arthur wasn't quite sure what it meant, he did find it just a little bit endearing – a <em>little </em>bit, mind you. At least, that's what he thought until the prince went off at top speed. "I really like horse riding! I have a horse, Butterscotch, I also like doing exercise, there's a huge gym in the palace and a pool for the summer, I'm interested in studying archaeology, watching movies, uhh...watching the sky, what was it – astronomy, yeah! – and heroes! I'm...oh, I'm sorry."</p>
<p>"Pardon?" Arthur blinked. Yes, he had been slammed with a freight train of knowledge, but hopefully nothing on his expression had shown him something that he didn't mean to. "I don't mean to be rude, Prince Alfred – why did you stop?"</p>
<p>"I, uh..." Alfred stammered, looking completely unkempt once again, his face completely mottled, hair dithering in front of his face. "I'm really sorry. It's just, uh, I forgot. About not taking up much of your time. It was just a bunch of babbling, I guess."</p>
<p>Honestly, Arthur could not really tell whether the prince was being honest or not. Even though he couldn't really understand a good chunk of what he had said, a sincerity flowed out from those words that he had been hard pressed to hear when seeing the prince on television. A reluctant curiosity sprung in his mind – how much was the prince putting on airs?</p>
<p>"No, not at all, Your Highness," Arthur began gingerly, lightly tapping his knee before springing back. What on Earth was he doing? His etiquette teacher would have fainted if she were in the room. "Please, I was intrigued. I'd love to hear more about your passions."</p>
<p>Alfred looked up for a moment, blue eyes meeting green. Suddenly, Arthur couldn't help but look, attempting to avoid noticing his own reflection in the prince's eyes. There was a hint of curiosity, as if something was yearning to escape in his gaze, something Arthur hadn't encountered from someone this close. He <em>hadn't</em>, for all his almost eighteen years, been so close to a stranger; close enough to notice the deep blue, a hint of vulnerability, a different person compared to what was in the public eye.</p>
<p>Though...it wasn't like the future king of Spades was a normal stranger.</p>
<p>After an charged silence, Alfred pulled back a little, laughing awkwardly. "...you really mean it? That it doesn't irritate you, Sir Arthur?"</p>
<p>"Of course not," Arthur huffed, sitting back on his chair, refining his posture, keeping his wits sharp. "I'm not sure if you could tell, but if I was able to forgive you for laughing at me, something as positive as honestly answering a question that I asked would not be an irritation at all."</p>
<p>Alfred blinked, shaking his head a little – somehow, the motion made Arthur think of a confused dog emerging from the water. "Not gonna lie, I'm not <em>that</em> sure what you really meant to say, but I'm thankful you'd let me speak about myself at such length when I'm trying to find more about you, so. Thank you."</p>
<p><em>What part of that didn't you understand? </em>Arthur wondered privately. He was about to say something else, but the two of them heard the previous attendant come in, then make a small motion at the wrist. Clearly, they had gone a little overtime.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry, Sir Arthur, but it seems as if we'll have to cut this conversation short," Alfred said, and the two of them rose from their seats too suddenly, causing the distance between them to be too close for comfort. "Oops. I'd be delighted to find more about you later, though. And I truly am sorry that I couldn’t do more to assist your friend."</p>
<p>“Please, don’t apologise. It isn’t your fault, Your Highness. Though...” Arthur decided to tease him a little more, taking the pressure off of both of their shoulders. “I take it that you mean that I'm not eliminated from the Deciding yet?"</p>
<p>Alfred grinned before gently grasping Arthur's hand and planting a kiss on it. "If ya mean 'I'm not dismissing you', then you're right."</p><hr/>
<p>"Who's the next person, Yao?" Matthew asked, sifting through the piles of information packs that were prepared for the Diamonds and Clubs candidates, due to be arriving in a few hours. "Since we're completed with the pool from Spades, would that be the people from Hearts, now?"</p>
<p>"Yes, that would be...Arthur Kirkland, I believe," Yao replied, handing him a pack. "He should be coming out right about now."</p>
<p>The realisation hit Matthew that <em>this </em>was the person Gilbert was talking about made him pause for a moment, but he quickly gathered himself. Acting oddly in Yao's proximity was one of the most sure-fire ways to give up the ghost, so to speak. Composing himself, he simply nodded and took the pack from him.</p>
<p>Surely they couldn't speak about Gilbert right now nor could he reveal the true nature of their relationship, but establishing a point of contact was more reassurance than nothing.</p>
<p>After a few minutes, though, no Arthur had showed up. The now four people sitting in the chairs beside him and Yao were already peering at the door, wondering what was going on. Yao himself seemed confused, looking at the hallway to see if Arthur had exited the other way. Apparently not.</p>
<p>The door stayed closed for a few more minutes until it swung open, revealing a boy with messy blond hair and, erm, relatively thick eyebrows. There didn't seem to be signs of tears or anger, so why did the encounter take longer than usual?</p>
<p>That didn't really matter though if Alfred had asked him to stay behind, so Matthew kept his eyes shut and his stance neutral as Arthur approached Yao.</p>
<p>"Sir Arthur," Yao said once the door swung closed and the next candidate across the hallway had entered the Drawing Room, "Did Prince Alfred request for you to stay behind?"</p>
<p>"Um, no, Your Highness, Prince Alfred did not," Arthur replied, sounding confused. Matthew noticed that it set off some discussion amongst the four behind them, but couldn't quite catch what they were saying.</p>
<p>Yao acknowledged this with a nod, and held out an information pack. "Thank you for notifying us. You are dismissed until dinner at seven - please read through the information pack before you do anything else, understood?"</p>
<p>"Yes, Your Highness," Arthur said, bowing once and taking the pack. Matthew thought he didn't realise his presence until they shared a brief moment of eye contact. The slight surprise in Arthur's eyes told Matthew all he needed to know.</p>
<p>All he had to do was to find a way of establishing contact, meaning there would be another secret to keep...</p><hr/>
<p><em>I couldn’t even help out Kiku or Heracles, in the end. </em>Arthur thought as soon as he opened the door and latched himself in, exhaling a ragged breath. He didn't really have the intention of exploring the intricate maze that was the palace just yet whilst that letter was unwritten, though he could hear the sounds of people around his floor moving around already. <em>Or speak to Matthew</em>. <em>Or even notify my family that I’m here, if they aren’t aware already, though if Erin has anything to do with it they do.</em></p>
<p><em>There's still a lot I don't know and so much I can’t do about it, so I suppose I'll be patient and wait. </em>Leafing through the information pack, there was a much needed map of the palace, a timetable of some sorts, sheets of loose paper he pulled out to prepare for the letter, and the same paper that he was given in the carriage. He had plenty of time to digest it; it was just that he had trouble digesting the other glaring thing.</p>
<p>That initial encounter with the prince was nothing short of odd. He had expected the prince to be a little stranger than fiction, but the sort of behaviour that he had shown today seemed as if he was truly another person behind the demeanour exhibited on television. Somehow, even though Arthur wanted to dislike him immensely for the bizarre laughter at the beginning, there was something strangely compelling about him that made him hesitate. He hadn’t even eliminated Arthur instantly for asking about pardoning Heracles, and he was sure that wasn’t exactly within protocol either.</p>
<p>Exhaling once, Arthur got up to examine the map of the palace closer, the strange enigma of Prince Alfred not quite leaving his mind.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>let me know what you think :) i'd dearly love to improve my writing, so please go ahead and leave your thoughts.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Act 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>please leave comments/feedback, would mean a lot!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>True to both the schedule and Jack Yao’s word, Arthur had the entire afternoon to himself.</p><p>He’d drafted the beginnings of a rambling letter to Kiku, telling him about his currently very brief time in Spades and the Heracles situation, though he had stopped as soon as he had heard a small commotion outside – that must be the Chosen from the northern kingdoms of Spades.</p><p>What appeared like a small fleet of blue carriages pulled up to the entrance of the palace, barely visible from Arthur’s window. The cameras, unlike last time when he arrived in the dead of night, were poised perfectly to take photos of the Chosen exiting the carriages with the fading sun in the background. Though there were a few jostles here and there with palace security, it was around half an hour until everyone had exited their carriages and the cameras followed them into the palace.</p><p>After all the excitement had cooled down, Arthur resumed his examination of the map – maybe he would actually do some sightseeing after all. Just seeing the amount of space that the palace library took up on the map excited him, not to mention the gardens that he could barely see from his window.</p><p>It had all the usual clippings of a traditional, beautiful garden – Arthur could see the peaks of arching trees and a hint of white marble, but the one aspect that he most dearly wanted to see for himself were the rumoured blue flowers that covered the gardens, the crowning jewels of the establishment. All he had ever gotten to see of it were photos and mentions in lectures and textbooks about the history of the palace, but being able to see it in person...</p><p>Hopefully after the meal, the garden would be much more open for a lone visitor. In the information pack, there had been a schedule for the next week. It had stated that the rest of the palace would be busy for the last batch of arrivals, so Arthur would be attempting to avoid contact with too many people, obviously. As a result, he decided that he would visit it straight after dinner, two hours before curfew if dinner took an hour. That would give him ample time to at least explore a little bit of it and perhaps see some of the blooms before having to scamper back to his room.</p>
<hr/><p>Arthur really didn't know what to keep his eye on at dinner – the menu, which outlined a series of elaborate dishes, with creamy sauce and some form of fish, or his assigned seating partners.</p><p>Interestingly enough, there were visibly less people at dinner than there had been at the start of the day – they had probably already been eliminated, or something like that. His mind cast back to the people behind the Ace and Jack in the hallway, but Arthur’s seating partner to his left didn’t really give him time for him to dwell on it.</p><p>Said seating partner, named Leon, looked like he had walked off the pages of a fashion magazine with his immaculate hair and refined posture. Even from when he had started speaking, his voice had a cool edge to it that made Arthur feel like a bit of an old sod. From the brief conversation they had, though, his looks were a little deceiving. Arthur had asked him whether he had come from a holding facility, to which he answered no.</p><p>“I’ve been, like, educated at home my entire life,” he had explained, with an elegant hand motion. “Did something give that away?”</p><p>“Nothing in particular,” Arthur replied, “I just guessed that you were from an affluent family, or went to a holding facility. It’s the easiest way to get into a Deciding around where I was, at least.”</p><p>“Oh, I see,” Leon said, though his expression didn’t betray any enthusiasm but remained mostly the same. “Back at home, there was, like, a lottery system we went through. I got lucky. That’s it.”</p><p>After talking a little more about their respective experiences, Arthur felt a little more reassured about being able to not make enemies. Even though they weren’t particularly close, they seemed to share a few interests, including a passion for tea. They were discussing the brews in their respective home countries until a group of around four settled in the same row that they were sat down in.</p><p>Tilting his head just a little bit, he could see more people getting to their seats, people brushing off some invisible dust from their outfits, people reading the menu...the scene had started to pick up somewhat. That was how Arthur was introduced to his other seating partner, Emma.</p><p>She seemed rather popular already, speaking to a friend as they sat down, somehow feeling familiar – though, as soon as they got close, Arthur thought it a little prudent to eavesdrop.</p><p>“...and I think I spoke too loud - oh no, I hope the prince doesn’t mind, I usually don't talk this loudly." she fretted, and the other girl patted her hand.</p><p>"It is going to be fine, I think he likes your cheerfulness already," her friend said – her accent was a little strange, somewhat like Kiku’s, but more exaggerated. “I think you should cheer up, Emma. At least you were not asked that you had to stay behind.”</p><p>"Huh. Wonder what that’s all about," Leon commented next to them, worrying at a stray thread on his collar. “Did you guys see them as well?”</p><p>“Yeah! It was pretty odd,” Emma said, turning around to face the two boys. She had striking green eyes, and her hair sat prettily just on top of her shoulders underneath a felt headband, and the corners of her lips turned up into a smile. “They haven’t shown up for dinner, either.”</p><p>"Maybe he wants to give them something? Is it something to do with their holding facility?" Arthur said, his thick eyebrows narrowing slightly.</p><p>"No, I do not think so," the girl next to Emma said, her dark eyes shining with worry. “I knew one of the boys that were asked to sit back this morning, and we both went to the same facir – facility. I do not know why.”</p><p>However, it seemed like the others were more annoyed about the singling out of the group, whisperings and mumblings all around the table that the cameras of course captured. As the front three seats of the dining table remained empty, they were placated temporarily by the arrival of the exquisite meals.</p><p>In the middle of the now rather quiet dinner, the three royals took their place. Prince Alfred looked slightly tense, but the Jack and Ace appeared as they had earlier on in the day, minus the materials.</p><p>The Chosen started to stand up, caught up with the tradition of greeting the royals, but Alfred gave the group a comforting smile, shaking his head.</p><p>"There’s no need for that, everyone, please continue eating," he said, and the meal continued, albeit with more whispers than before.</p><p>But all around the dinner table, dubious looks were thrown left, right and centre. Emma’s friend continued to look worriedly at the door, her short hair obscuring half of her face. It took Emma to persuade her to start tucking into her dinner.</p><p>“It probably means they’ve gone home,” someone next to Leon whispered, and Arthur couldn’t help but pay attention there too. “Why else would they not be joining us at dinner? Marianne, I can’t see how many people are gone, though. Can you?”</p><p>A huff, and Arthur continued eating. “Of course not, Clare. Though, if they are gone, then the more, the merrier. The faster the competition ends, the better.”</p><p>Arthur didn't even realise he was so visibly distracted until Leon tapped him gently with the edge of his expensive looking shoe.</p><p>"Fish skin for your thoughts," he asked, nudging his own with a fork and Arthur ducked his head in embarrassment. Right, there were cameras, and it probably wasn’t a good look.</p><p>"I’m just trying to hear what everyone’s saying," he stammered, suddenly much more interested in the meal than the people in their vicinity. “About people going home.”</p><p>Leon gave their surroundings a look around, and then went back to his meal. “That’s okay, I guess...just, like, don’t make it so obvious. Don’t want to draw attention to us, you know.”</p><p>“I agree,” Arthur said, his voice relieved as he cut another portion. Feeling even more thankful that he knew how to use the complicated cutlery, he settled into his seat. Something finally felt familiar.</p><p>He probably settled down too soon.</p><p>"How is everyone enjoying their meals?” Alfred was saying, instantly commanding everyone in the room’s attention. “If you don’t mind, that is, I’d like to come around and talk with each of ya.”</p><p>Obviously, this put everyone on edge – even Arthur, even though he’d never admit it in a thousand years. Attempting to eat discreetly, especially when the food was so delicious, was an arduous task, and he could only alternate between taking sips of his water and bites as he heard out for footsteps or the small hum of conversation.</p><p>When the prince's presence arrived to their section, Emma immediately dropped her fork on her plate, causing a loud noise to echo through the dining hall and eliciting stares. A light blush tinting her cheeks, she rapidly apologised, seemingly unsure of what to do.</p><p>"Is there something happening here?" he teased. “I do hope you’re enjoying the food.”</p><p>"Oh, oh, it's nothing, Your Highness, ah, ahaha, it's nothing, really, heh, I was just kidding around," Emma giggled nervously, her gaze not quite meeting his. “Um! I’m so sorry!”</p><p>“She is just a little nervous, Your Highness,” her friend smiled, dipping her head in a greeting, visibly embarrassed. “Please excuse her.”</p><p>"Ah, I see how it is. Don’t worry, you two, I know what it’s like to feel nervous. Are you enjoying the meal? Was it Lady Emma?”</p><p>Emma's cheeks glowed peony, and her gaze grew excited again. “Yes...and yes! I’m enjoying it a lot.”</p><p>Alfred nodded, acknowledging her comment before turning to the girl next to her. “What about you, Lady Sakura? Is it different than you’re used to?”</p><p><em>Oh, so that’s why she was familiar</em>, Arthur realised after looking at the pretty girl – she had been with them this morning. <em>One more name to remember, I suppose.</em></p><p>She pushed her hair to the side before replying. “Yes, absolutely...even though there are a few things different to the fish prepared at my house, I really like this style as well.”</p><p>“They prepared it in a different style? That’s really cool, uh, interesting, since you’re from another region,” Alfred said, his eyebrows raising in intrigue. “You must tell me about it later, Lady Sakura.”</p><p>“I would be happy to,” she said, an unfettered sparkle in her eye. “Perhaps I could help you teach to cook one day? Yes, that sounds like a plan!”</p><p>The prince nodded, cowlick bobbing. “Let’s do that together soon.”</p><p>He asked the two girls to continue enjoying their meal, before moving onto Leon and Arthur, seemingly ignoring the stares that cottoned onto Sakura immediately afterwards.</p>
<hr/><p>Alfred decided to open with an easy question. “How are you two finding the meal?” he asked, choosing to stand behind the two of them, perfectly in the middle. “I hope it’s to your taste.”</p><p>“Absolutely, Your Highness,” Leon replied, moving his chair slightly backwards so they made eye contact. “Honestly, this fish is so exquisite that I’m totally glad I’m not allergic.”</p><p>“Neither do I, Sir Leon,” Alfred chuckled, “I would prefer you’d only enjoy things whilst under the care of the palace. I’m very happy you are. What about you, Sir Arthur?”</p><p>Inadvertently, Alfred held his breath. Being more than aware of the cameras around them, Sir Arthur could definitely tease him about the encounter that they had earlier on in the day – but thankfully, nothing but kind words about the dinner left his mouth.</p><p>“At least,” Arthur was saying, gesturing at the cutlery, “There’s something here I’m familiar with.” This garnered a few laughs from the people around him, and Alfred took that as a cue to move on.</p><p>“I’m glad, sometimes I get a little mixed up sometimes,” Alfred said, winking. Tragically, he knew he’d have to get to a lot more people, so he missed Arthur’s reaction, but he hoped it was a positive one. “Enjoy your meal, gentlemen.”</p><p>Taking a deep breath, he continued on. <em>Remember to be witty, funny, smart, put together, curious, refined, ask for more details, ask them on dates but not all of them, what else...</em></p>
<hr/><p>“...so that’s the schedule for tomorrow. I’ve already requested your maids to wake you up half an hour early for the interviews on tomorrow’s Broadcast. Come directly to the Drawing Room; there will be no time for breakfast here tomorrow. If you are unsure of any of the details, please reread the hand out in your pack for the week. Are we clear?”</p><p>“Yes, Jack Yao,” the room said in unison. The briefing had started when the food was starting to be packed away and a majority of the cameras dismissed, only a few of them lingering at the royals’ table.</p><p>“If you are to explore the castle tonight, please return to your rooms before curfew and be on your best behaviour. Once again, your maids will be reporting back if you are not in the room by ten o’clock. With that,” Jack Yao said, looking at the time on the clock that read eight, “You are dismissed for the day.”</p><p>With that, everyone filed out of the dining room in an orderly fashion, but that was where the order ended. Obviously, guards were stationed all around the palace and everyone was probably well versed in manners so it didn’t erupt into a matter of lawlessness, but the speed and variance to where everyone went confused Arthur briefly.</p><p>Even though many of his fellow Chosen were content to leave in groups, Arthur simply decided to continue with his prior plan. At least, it was better than sitting around trying to fruitlessly socialise, or bite his pen about how he’d communicate the news to Kiku. There wasn’t much about his trip that he could write about to his family yet either. He’d been courteous enough to say goodbye to both of the acquaintances he’d sat next to over dinner – they would be sitting together for awhile, so it was better to make friends rather than stay distant.</p><p>Taking a short detour to his room for the map in his pack as well as picking up a windbreaker that Anna had probably left for him, he began to make his way downstairs to the gardens. Actively avoiding the pockets of noise, from people exploring their palace or snippets of conversation, Arthur managed to find his way after a few misplaced turns.</p><p>To his relief, there was a grand clock smack dab in the middle of the gardens as soon as he arrived – it read forty minutes to nine, so that meant more than ample time. An intricate shrubbery decorated its base, covered with dark flowers that Arthur couldn’t quite make out due to it being night even though the lampposts were consistently lit.</p><p>Not wanting to indulge too much in the one ornament, he decided to keep moving forward. A little more than two hours would be quite enough to explore at least a majority of one direction, so he continued to walk northways. Thankfully as he moved, the sounds of people from the palace grew weaker and weaker, so he’d be able to appreciate some peace and quiet – a first since he arrived in the palace. Of course, he hadn’t made any adversaries, but he barely knew anything or anyone. Best to not get close just yet.</p><p>Before long, he was dwarfed by the same tree arrangement that he had watched outside of his window earlier in the afternoon. It certainly felt more intimidating than it had in the daytime, and Arthur felt himself tense into his jacket a little more. Even though the spring was slowly easing off into the summer, the wind still held a chill. Folding his arms, Arthur continued, trying to not focus on the crunch of his shoes into the brittle path, keeping his eyes forward until he came to a stop in front of some...structure.</p><p>It resembled some sort of gazebo made out of wood, but his gaze wasn’t as drawn to it compared to the sheer amount of blue around it. There was a noise, but it faded in Arthur’s ears – must be the wind, or his footsteps, or something nearly not as important as the flowers.</p><p>Lilies, dahlias, peonies, irises, marigolds, tulips...<em>roses</em>...Arthur had never seen anything like it in person. The dim light surely did no favours for it, but even without it his breath was completely taken away.</p><p>Arthur’s slight tread broke into a less dignified run, desperate to approach the blooms before he ran out of time. The fragrance reached him sooner, disarming in its sweetness, almost overwhelming his senses. Was it because of magic that they were kept so pristinely, in peak condition year round? He wasn’t even sure if he was allowed to touch them, yet his fingers delicately reached out for a blue rose perched invitingly on the edge.</p><p>“Gonna steal the flowers, huh?”</p><p>Arthur froze. To his absolute horror, the crown prince of Spades tilted his head outside of the gazebo like structure, his eyes very wide and very blue underneath the moonlight.</p>
<hr/><p>Finally, a moment to himself!</p><p>...At least, that was what Alfred was internally cheering to himself as soon as he plopped down on the swing in his good ol’ homey hideaway. Technically, it was Matthew’s too, but he didn’t show up tonight nor had he used it for years, so <em>there</em>.</p><p>Eliminating eight people in a day had to be one of the most exhausting things Alfred had done so far, and it was his only elimination yet! Sure, he didn’t match Deciding thirty when the then princess had ended the competition after only simple seven hours, but eight was a good start, right? Right?</p><p>“...”</p><p>
  <em>“Please, Your Highness...one week! I swear, I can do better! Did I say something this afternoon? Whatever it is, I’ll take it back!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Is it something I did, Prince Alfred? I’m begging you, let me stay – I’ll change for you. Whatever you want, I’ll do!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You can’t do this...I’ve been in love with you my entire life, Your Highness...please reconsider! Just one more day, please...”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“What was it you didn’t like? My face, my hair, my clothes? Just say the word...please don’t kick me out so soon, I didn’t know I would be going home so quickly.”</em>
</p><p>Fighting back a swear, Alfred placed his head in his hands. The pleadings, the tears, the sounds of agony ran through his mind once more. Though it had been a good day, having managed to arrange two possible dates during dinner and another two on his way down here, he’d ruined the lives of eight people on the spot, and he couldn’t do anything about it – a completely unheroic thing to do.</p><p>There just wasn’t that spark, that shared interest, no compatibility after all. Even so, the incredible guilt sitting in his gut would take awhile to fizzle out. Not to mention, he’d have to do this for another thirty one people.</p><p>He wondered how his father had done it. He’d purposefully avoided watching the old Broadcasts and whatnot of his parents to not turn into a crying, feeble mess, but maybe he should have, manliness be damned. It had seemed so <em>easy </em>for them...</p><p>Before Alfred could delve deeper into his own thoughts, a bizarre crunching noise came from outside. Standing up from the swing, he squinted outside from the doorway to see a shock of blond hair, a jacket and the odd eyebrows.</p><p><em>Sir Arthur? What’s he doing here? </em>Alfred wondered to himself, half in awe and half in surprise. <em>Right...Yao did say they could do whatever after dinner. I guess he came down here</em>.</p><p>Bracing himself for the guy to turn around and call his name or something, Alfred was even more surprised when he didn’t, instead making a beeline for the flowers around the gazebo. There was something strangely elegant about the way his feet slowly crept forward and his lilting hand reached out for a rose – huh, a rose? Was the guy trying to pick his garden’s flowers?</p><p>OK, they weren’t technically <em>his</em>, but whatever...</p><p>Coming outside, Alfred craned his neck to call out to him, half curious, half teasing. “Gonna steal the flowers, huh?”</p><p>The guy froze as if he were a deer in the headlights. It was kind of uncanny how he pretty much became a stationary object, fingers frozen in mid air and feet positioned awkwardly as he twisted around to face him. Green met blue, almost like that strange eye contact that they had made earlier on in the day, before Arthur practically dropped into a bow.</p><p>“I’m...so sorry, Your Highness, I promise I was only admiring them,” Arthur stammered, not knowing what to do with his hands except stuff them into his pockets. “I...It’s just, I haven’t ever seen anything like them, and I was-”</p><p>Crap, he looked like he was going to <em>cry</em>. “Hey, I was just teasing, you know,” Alfred said quickly, awkwardly holding out his hands to try to placate him. Maybe he’d gone too far, because it wasn’t heroic to make someone cry. “It’s okay. Really, it is.”</p><p>“I...um,” Arthur stumbled over his words, and Alfred could see the beginnings of a dark flush on his cheeks. “I’m...? Pardon? Come again? Your Highness? You’re not...angry?”</p><p>“Uh, no, I’m not, Sir Arthur,” Alfred said, rubbing the back of his neck, not knowing what else to do. Poor guy probably thought he was going to be arrested. “I promise you, I was just joking. You can look and admire as much as you want, as an esteemed guest. Uh. As part of the Chosen, of course.”</p><p>Arthur’s thick eyebrows furrowed further in disbelief, but he chose to not act on it. “Oh. Well, in that case, please, don’t mind me.” With that, he started to walk away – leaving Alfred a little deflated. They had got on well, right? Did he just want to be left alone?</p><p>“...Pardon? Oh, I’m sorry – yes, I do prefer my own company, mostly, though it would be nice to continue our conversation from earlier today. If you are free, of course, Your Highness. It is getting late, and I am sure you are quite business. Er, busy.”</p><p>A chill ran down Alfred’s spine when he had realised that he had accidentally spoke out loud. Choosing to quickly save the situation, he offered to take Arthur on a brief tour of the palace gardens instead. He was quite surprised at Arthur’s passion about the flowers; he’d personally never taken too much knowledge in them other than their beauty.</p>
<hr/><p>What could have turned into some blasted arrest surprisingly turned into a pleasant encounter with the prince.</p><p>Initially, Arthur hadn’t known what to say as soon as they started their slow walk down the path. “So, Your Highness...do you come down here often?”</p><p>“Not really, which sucks.” The continued use of informal speech, over a constant use of formal speech, continued to confuse Arthur, but he decided not to comment on it. “Though I have to say, I do walk past here a lot when I go to the stables, since it’s so pretty.”</p><p>“Oh, the stables? I don’t think we had much chance to talk about your horse, erm-”</p><p>“Butterscotch!”</p><p>Oh dear, he’d forgotten that so soon. “Yes, Butterscotch,” Arthur said. “Would you like to tell me more about them?”</p><p>“She’s a very sweet horse,” Alfred said, and Arthur could notice his stance relaxed as soon as he started talking about his pet. A pet...didn’t the prince have another one, that would be mentioned infrequently on the news? Something like that, Arthur thought before pulling back his thoughts to focus on what he was saying. “I realised until awhile ago that I kinda left her care to the stable hands all the time, so I’ve been seeing her a lot more and taking care of her these few months. That is, if I wasn’t a hundred percent busy with Deciding stuff, heh.”</p><p>“Did you do all the planning by yourself?” Arthur asked. He couldn’t imagine planning an event under such heavy scrutiny. “It sounds quite exhausting.”</p><p>“Well no, I had a lot of help,” Alfred said. “You know Yao and Matthew...uh, Jack Yao and Ace Matthew, they figure stuff out when I can’t. Since I shouldn’t be an official king until the Deciding ends, I don’t have as much power when it comes to admin things, but other than that pretty much. I also talked to the King of Hearts for advice, so it wasn’t really a one man effort.”</p><p>“I see,” Arthur said. Somehow, it felt reassuring that the monarchy was so tightly knit together. “Though...is it all right if I ask about you and the King of Hearts? In the holding facilities, we watched a film about his Deciding, but are things different here compared to there?”</p><p>Alfred nodded, tilting his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose before he continued. “Yeah, things are a bit harder. You guys learn about the mark in the holding facility, right?”</p><p><em>The</em> singular mark, appearing on the body of a monarch that cemented their position in a Primary Suit. “Yes, we do.”</p><p>“The main difference is that the mark appears after the winner of the Deciding is chosen in Spades, but in Hearts the mark chooses the winner. And the King of Hearts...gosh, it’s weird to hear him being called that, but we’re really tight.”</p><p>“Oh, so the mark chooses the winner in Hearts, but the mark comes to the winner here,” Arthur echoed, his eyes catching on a blue dahlia. “So that explains the absolute shock at the end of the film.”</p><p>“Yeah...that was funny,” Alfred chuckled, casting his mind back to the frenzied call that Ludwig had left him on the evening of the announcement. “Ludwig doesn’t freak out, ever, but he did when he called me the night it happened. I think he was crying, too.”</p><p>“Is that what you mean by ‘really tight’?” Arthur said, not being able to resist poking fun at his casual language. It was jarring, to say the least, to hear the stoic King of Hearts being referred to as just <em>Ludwig</em>.</p><p>“Yeah, that’s what I mean!” Alfred exclaimed. Huh, apparently the teasing had gone right over his head. “We’ve been best buddies since we were kids. But yeah, it was really good luck. Thankfully we don’t have to do that sorta stuff here.”</p><p>“It’s all up to you, yes?”</p><p>“<em>Technically</em>, yeah, but I’d go over the decision with everyone I know that’s looking out for me, you know? Not only am I gonna marry them, but...they’re gonna be the Queen. Not an easy task.”</p><p>“No pressure,” Arthur snorted, the edges of his mouth lifting into a smirk. “All these remarkable people, and you have to choose one in front of a country – well no, a continent. You’d need all the luck you can get, Your Highness. I’m not the luckiest fellow, but you seem as if you need it more.”</p><p>Alfred smiled in response, tilting his head just so, their eyes meeting for a moment. “Thank you, really, Sir Arthur. After all the awkwardness, I’m surprised you’re willing to go to such lengths to help me.”</p><p>Huffing, Arthur looked away after a moment of eye contact that lasted too long. His cheeks were pink, that was due to the cold – the cold! “Don’t get the wrong idea, it’s just that you talked about how hard the process was...so I felt that you deserved at least some recognition for your hard work. T-that’s all.! Erm, Your Highness.”</p><p>“It means a lot,” Alfred insisted, waiting for Arthur to turn back around before he continued. “I guess it’s the same for everybody, but support really is everything. And I’m sorry for boring you with this sorta talk when we were supposed to be talking about lighter things, but this is what you get, heh. My bad for not fitting the idea of a perfect prince...”</p><p>Arthur’s expression softened, and he turned around, back facing the rows of blue flowers surrounding them. “Prince Alfred, I’m certain you don’t have to be told these things, but being genuine can encourage affection with the one that will become Queen one day, amongst other things. So perhaps, it’s good to not be a perfect prince.”</p>
<hr/><p><em>I suppose I didn’t get to find out much about the gardens</em>, Arthur thought to himself. Thankfully, the prince had brought the clock he’d usually carried with him to their impromptu meeting, and so they managed to make it up to the palace through a side entrance thirty minutes before curfew would be a thing.</p><p>“I hope I didn’t ruin your sightseeing,” Alfred said wistfully as soon as they got into the palace and noticed that the hallway was essentially deserted. “You did seem like you were having a lot of fun, Sir Arthur.”</p><p>“I <em>was </em>having fun, yes,” Arthur admitted, forgetting to lay off on his smirking. “Though, for all the laughing at me you did this afternoon, Your Highness, I was surprised you had fun.”</p><p>“Hey! That’s mean,” Alfred grumbled, pouting. “Ya know I didn’t mean to. I just thought it was kinda sad that you were walking alone like that.”</p><p>Arthur’s smirk dropped from his face. “You...” he started to hiss, but the prince had already moved on.</p><p>“So, as a hero and a totally awesome prince, I had to intervene!” he cried, complete with an accompanying hand gesture, clearly forgetting he had to have an indoor voice when attempting to sneak back into the palace.</p><p>“Keep it down,” Arthur muttered, nudging him with his elbow and ‘accidentally’ applying a little too much pressure. “Dolt – er, Your Highness. I thought we were trying to be discreet.”</p><p>Alfred gave a carefree shrug of his shoulders, his right hand lowering, as if he didn’t feel it at all. “Yeah, yeah,” he said noncommittally, “But I was right, no?”</p><p>“No, you weren’t,” Arthur said, looking the other way once again. Well, he supposed that all royals were a level of bratty, but calling himself a hero...that was on another level! “Now if you’d excuse me, I’d like to go up to my room before curfew.”</p><p>“Aw, you can’t be that old, right?” Alfred teased, but relented when he saw the slight murderous intent in the other boy’s face. “Hey, I’m just joking. Of course. Goodnight, Sir Arthur. Thank you for spending time with me tonight.”</p><p>“...Likewise,” Arthur mumbled under his breath, looking away after glaring at him for a few moments. “Good night, Your Highness."</p><p>Alfred watched him skirt up the banister, and only waited until the outline of his form had disappeared up the stairs that he turned back in the direction of his room. That had been...surprising, to say the least.</p><p>It wasn’t after he had finished looking over his schedule for the day, taken his shower, got changed and settled into the covers for the night that he realised that, in some odd way, it had been his first date.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Act 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>please leave comments/feedback/interaction, would mean a lot!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">The Drawing Room was completely packed by the time Arthur got there, to his absolute dismay.</p><p class="p1">Everyone had been requested to wear the outfits they had came into the palace with again, according to Anna, so Arthur didn’t have to worry too much about his appearance other than attempting to tame his hair, which didn’t end particularly well. Still, there was something reassuring about seeing thirty odd people wearing the same clothes as he was.</p><p class="p1">Once he got there, a palace guard placed an ornate badge on his chest with his name on it, and then opened the door to what felt like a completely different room.</p><p class="p1">It felt as if a miracle had been wreaked on the Drawing Room overnight. What had once been a spacious room filled with ornaments, sofas and ornate tables had been transformed into what felt like a film studio. There were two white backdrops on the sectioned off right side of the room that had two sofas on it, with all sorts of camera equipment that Arthur couldn't name, to a seating area half filled with people. What interested him the most, though, was the trio of rectangular tables filled with finger foods, so he decided to make a beeline for that first.</p><p class="p1">The familiar sounds of a bustling room filled his ears as he took a plate and helped himself to a few things. Shouts of a name, clicks of a camera, general conversation, the sounds of a door...it did feel a little overwhelming, but as long as he managed to get breakfast Arthur felt as if he might stand a fighting chance surviving the day.</p><p class="p1">To his relief, he managed to spot Leon and the two girls from yesterday in the seating area. Attempting to not feel overly self conscious, he picked his way to them and greeted them with a noncommittal wave.</p><p class="p1">“Good morning,” Sakura said politely, returning the gesture. “Pr - please, take a seat. We are still waiting for our turn – you were from Hearts, correct?’</p><p class="p1">“Yes, I was,” Arthur replied, and sank gratefully into the seat next to Leon, who also greeted him. “Are they interviewing the Diamonds and Clubs first?”</p><p class="p1">“I think so, yeah,” Leon said, taking a bite out of his own club sandwich. He looked in the direction of Emma as if he were expecting her to say something, but she was clearly distracted by the camera on the right side of the room.</p><p class="p1">“Camera shy?” Arthur asked, attempting to drum up at least a little bit of conversation. When she only gave a halfhearted nod, he decided to look over in her direction and realised she was in fact staring at the prince, speaking with a boy behind the glass partition. A small line had formed behind the two cubicles, with the Jack in the first one, probably doing a more general interview.</p><p class="p1">“Doesn’t he look so regal?” she murmured to herself, resting her chin on one hand. “What would it be like to speak to him? Wouldn’t it be such a wonderful date?”</p><p class="p1">Sakura gently nudged her. “Emma, you will be speaking to him soon enough, but I do think you should be eating,” she chided gently. “At re – least, finish what is on your plate.”</p><p class="p1">“...! Um, I’m so sorry,” she stammered, her face the familiar embarrassed expression it had worn last night, looking at her companions. “Sakura, you’re right, I just...”</p><p class="p1">“Sir Arthur has just joined us, maybe you should say hello as well.”</p><p class="p1">Emma gave herself a little shake, two pink dots appearing on her round cheeks. “Oh! Good morning, Sir Arthur, I hope you’re doing well!”</p><p class="p1">“Good morning – er, you could just call me Arthur,” he replied, trying to ignore Leon’s barely concealed chuckle. “I’m doing very well, thank you.”</p><p class="p1"><em>A little too well in the competition, perhaps</em>, he thought to himself, having her words echo in his head. So it was what he had suspected since he had returned to his room - last night’s ‘interaction’ had indeed been a date of some sort. Impromptu and completely unplanned, of course, which confused him, but it fit the criteria of one on one time.</p><p class="p1">Naturally, it did embarrass him a little when it kept him up at night, but of course it would not go anywhere except between him and the prince. Arthur would prefer to not have a target painted on his back so early in the competition, especially if it would mean nothing later on – if he were still here.</p><p class="p1">The four of them continued to exchange brief small talk, musing on their different experiences before they were Chosen. Seeing as Emma was from Diamonds, Arthur asked her about the well spread rumour in his holding facility that tracker chips were used in the Clubs and Diamonds facilities, but was only greeted with a laugh.</p><p class="p1">“Is that the kinda stuff they really say down here? Well, I haven’t lived in one myself, but my brother had a friend who applied for the Hearts Deciding a few years back, and there was nothing like that!” she laughed, and Arthur felt the social awkwardness come back all over again – he knew it, he should never have made friends with anyone. “Though I have to ask...do they make you in Hearts...you know?”</p><p class="p1">Was she trying to make fun of the rumour, or him, or both? “No, I don’t.”</p><p class="p1">“Well, in Diamonds we hear that everyone has to be packed in the same sleeping area to save costs,” she began. Right, even with the trade deficit issue, Diamonds was still known for its wealth. “And you have to share a bathroom between twenty people.”</p><p class="p1">“Fates, not at all, I roomed with one person at most for all my years I spent there,” Arthur said, grimacing a little at the thought of having to share a bathroom with twenty other people. “So I promise you, there’s nothing like that in Hearts.”</p><p class="p1">A touch of mischief sparkling in her eyes betrayed her amusement. Even though she had definitely got the best of him in that regard, Arthur had a small feeling that they’d get along well.</p><p class="p1">“You two, we’re already out of the facility things,” Leon interjected, though he and Sakura were smiling. “Guess we should, like, focus on the interviews? At least, I hope I wasn’t the only one thinking about it last night.”</p><p class="p1">A guard called out two names that Arthur couldn’t recognise, but he was fairly sure that he had seen the two boys that stood up and walked up to the waiting area yesterday morning, meaning that the Spades and Hearts people were up soon. “No, it was not just you,” Sakura replied whilst Arthur was watching them move. “I am quite nervous that I will not know what to say.”</p><p class="p1">“Just be yourself, Sakura,” Emma smiled, brushing her arm against her friend – though Sakura shied away, Arthur figured she was just shy, returning the gesture with only a nod. “I’m sure that alone will charm everyone!”</p><p class="p1">Almost as if on cue, the guard standing near the seating area called for her and Emma. Before the two of them had even stood up, the guard read out Leon’s name then Natalya’s, the girl that Arthur had had a brush with. Even though they had barely interacted since coming to the palace, she was still here, so a recognizable face was still appreciated. Still, with their departure, the three of them still sitting couldn’t help but feel anxious.</p><p class="p1">Unsurprisingly, they weren’t alone in their fear. There was a most terrible noise, and it sounded as if someone had been sick. A commotion rose up near the waiting area where the person was standing, then soon afterwards the door had been hurriedly thrown open, coupled with the harsh smell of disinfectant.</p><p class="p1">“Poor thing,” Leon mumbled, though he looked nauseated right before he left. “Don’t blame whoever it is, though. Being presented to Spades, let alone the whole of Cards...”</p><p class="p1">The uneasiness of the entire situation, not to mention the fact that everyone had been called up so soon, meant that Arthur couldn’t help but sit quietly by himself for the next half hour, half heartedly taking sips of the tea that he’d requested. The heat didn’t exactly do much to calm his nerves, though the chamomile scent did help him feel just that little more gentlemanly.</p>
<hr/><p class="p1">When it was finally his turn to be summoned, Arthur decided to simply watch what was going on – to his relief; it seemed to be mostly interviews and nothing else. He could at least trust himself to not screw up to some degree with them. Nevertheless, his heart couldn’t help but pound faster in his chest as he approached the first cubicle, where the Jack was sitting with a pleasant expression on his face.</p><p class="p1">“Sir Arthur, welcome,” he said, waving once in way of a greeting. “I hope you’ve been doing well this morning. Shall we start?”</p><p class="p1">“Thank you, Your Highness, it has,” Arthur said, bowing before sitting on the other sofa. “Yes, I’m ready.”</p><p class="p1">With a small gesture, the red lights on the two cameras started blinking, and then the Jack started his interview without missing a beat. “So, Sir Arthur, since you’ve been educated in the Hearts holding facilities, would you say that it gives you the advantage in the competition?”</p><p class="p1">Arthur’s mouth went dry. Somehow, he felt as if that were a loaded question – of course, the holding facility programme was designed to not only prepare exemplary candidates for the Deciding, but provide an affluent education that they wouldn’t have been able to receive otherwise. Because of that...</p><p class="p1">“I wouldn’t say it gives me an absolute advantage,” he replied. “That being said, the education I’ve received as a result of the holding facilities, I feel as if I’ve been able to adjust to life within the palace fairly easily. Though I will admit, one of the most comforting moments I’ve had would be with the use of the palace cutlery.”</p><p class="p1">“It can be quite intimidating at the beginning, yes,” Jack Yao chuckled. That sort of response was reassuring, at least. “Was there any reason you chose to come to Spades for this year’s Deciding?”</p><p class="p1"><em>Yes, but I can’t say it out on camera, </em>Arthur thought to himself, before thinking it was probably a good idea to stop thinking to himself all the blasted time. “Er, there wasn’t one specific reason for me choosing to come to Spades, I did not expect to be chosen at all. T-Though, that is not to say that I didn’t think about it, I would, er, say that after learning so much about the kingdom, I thought that it would suit me the best.”</p><p class="p1">Yao raised one elegant eyebrow, half surprises, and half amused by the glint in his eye. “That is to say, not the prince himself?”</p><p class="p1">Arthur took it back; he was horrible at doing interviews. He never wanted to do one ever again. “No, that’s not true...o-of course, for the prince as well, yes. There was just a lot of reasons I felt were prudent to cover.”</p><p class="p1">“I see, I see. How are you finding the palace, then?”</p><p class="p1"><em>Be honest</em>. “Erm, it’s quite large, like a maze,” Arthur said. “I managed to find some time to visit the gardens, briefly, and it’s even more amazing than I imagined it to be. And, I suppose, the prince himself is somewhat intriguing.”</p><p class="p1">“What intrigues you <em>about</em> the prince?”</p><p class="p1"><em>Oh bollocks, that was a mistake</em>, Arthur swore internally, noticing the mistake only after the words had flown out of his mouth. Painfully aware that this was probably <em>the </em>clip to be shown on the Broadcast that evening, he planned his next answer very carefully.</p><p class="p1">“Well, in the holding facilities, we’re taught a lot about the Primary Suits, more so than usual, I believe. I’ve seen His Highness in one light, and with what little interaction we’ve had I believe that it may be a chance for Cards, during this Deciding, to see another side to him.” Coupling that with a smile, he hoped it didn’t seem too extraordinary. He’d prefer to stay under the radar as much as possible, thank you.</p><p class="p1">“That’s an intriguing answer in itself,” Yao said. “Unfortunately, our time is quite short, so I must ask you one more question only – do you think you stand a chance in the competition, Sir Arthur?”</p><p class="p1"><em>No, not really. </em>“Yes, as everyone else does.” Arthur replied, opting for the more conspicuous answer. Not a single cell in his body wanted for himself to stand out.</p><p class="p1">“Well, we’ll have to see, yes?” The Jack stood, holding out his hand, and Arthur shook it, hoping his palm wasn’t sweaty. “That wraps up our brief interview. Thank you, and best of luck, Sir Arthur.”</p>
<hr/><p class="p2">Alfred was, to put it plainly, exhausted.</p><p class="p1">He felt as his voice was about to give out, his shoulders were slightly sore, his glasses had slid down the bridge of his nose three times in the last minute, and he’d confirmed the hard way that five people could, in fact, not communicate with him or the cameras at all.</p><p class="p1">Not even to the level of stuttering, blushing, and goosebumps that could be written off as charming, but sitting in their chairs and staring blankly at him for a painful eight minutes.He’d had to stop the cameras, gently ask them to stay back for the rest of the day, and then called for the next person. He was pretty sure he heard more than one of them sob. <em>That </em>had been pretty awful to pretend as if nothing had happened, but that came with the job.</p><p class="p1">By the time the Hearts candidates started trickling in for their interviews, he just wanted to slouch in his seat and eat a burger. Or three. Of course, that was outta the question, so he kept his smile, kept on trying to be charming, witty, funny, attractive, smart, whatever else a crown prince of Spades should be.</p><p class="p1">As soon as Sir Arthur appeared, though, he couldn’t help but panic. All day the other Chosen had talked about how he hadn’t actually taken them on a date, and if Arthur felt the same about their encounter last night, that could be a problem. Ideally, he’d wanted to start dating soon, but two days into the process could be seen as rude and disruptive. The advisors would surely have some...words to say to him.</p><p class="p1">He winced. Only Matthew knew, and it would stay that way. Wasn’t as if they were visible any more, his back had stopped screaming for months.</p><p class="p1">When Sir Arthur sat in the chair next to him and turned expectantly, Alfred gestured once for the cameras to give them a moment of privacy, not exactly out of protocol. It <em>had </em>been the first time he had requested it before an interview had even started, so it drew a few looks from the small crowd waiting outside.</p><p class="p1">“Sir Arthur, if you don’t mind me saying something real quick before we start our interview?” <em>Back to formal mode before I turn on the charm later.</em></p><p class="p1">“Yes, of course, Your Highness,” Sir Arthur said, and Alfred could tell his voice was wobbly. “Have I done something wrong?”</p><p class="p1">“No, you haven’t, it’s just...” Alfred paused, before lowering his voice so that only he could hear. “About yesterday. I would prefer you keep the encounter secret, as...technically, within the rules I am not supposed to have one on one time with the other Deciding candidates until forty eight hours have passed. I’m not saying you did anything wrong, it’s just...you know. Me. Don’t wanna hurt any feelings.”</p><p class="p1">“Of course, Your Highness,” Arthur said, his shoulders relaxing. “I haven’t spoken about it to a soul. F-For the record, it was a...yes?”</p><p class="p1">“Yeah, I believe so, and it counts for such,” Alfred admitted, rubbing the back of his neck in sheepishness, “But I’d just prefer ya not mention it until it’s within protocol. Sorry about asking another favour from you. I messed up.”</p><p class="p1">Arthur’s cheeks pinked; something about it was strangely cute. “Ah. Understood, Your Highness – and it wasn’t your fault either, I’m sure. I suppose it means that you owe me another favour, yes?”</p><p class="p1">Alfred fought back a laugh; maybe he wasn’t so embarrassed about it as he thought he was? Nevertheless, it helped his shoulders to relax a little from their stiffness, that he wasn’t angry or upset. “Yeah, kinda. Got it. Let’s just get this interview done and we’ll sort that stuff out, okay?”</p><p class="p1">“Thanks, everyone – we’re ready to start now.” An unspoken question was exchanged between the two cameramen, but they did not raise it and merely began the recording.</p><p class="p1">“So, Sir Arthur, do you have anything you’d like to ask me?”</p><p class="p1">He raised a thick eyebrow – what did <em>that </em>mean? Before thinking, he foolishly spoke. “Your Highness, how is this interview different from the one we just went through with Jack Yao?”</p><p class="p1">“...”</p><p class="p1">That was it. Alfred broke into a very unprincely, ungentlemanly, full chested chortle. Thankfully, he’d managed to rein it in very quickly, but the damage had already been done. Even worse, there were definitely stares now.</p><p class="p1">Arthur looked as if he had been run through clean with one of the guards’ spears, mouth hanging slightly ajar, green eyes wide with panic. “I...I’m so sorry, Your Highness – that was rude, I should not have–”</p><p class="p1">“No, no, Sir Arthur, please, I found it funny,” Alfred said, trying to wave him down. “I’m serious, it’s not rude. It’s funny. Really it is. Oh man, I'm just the worst, aren't I?”</p><p class="p1">A deep blush made itself known all over Arthur’s cheeks, and Alfred couldn’t help but feel a little guilty at the seething emotion coming off of him in waves. “Your Highness...I can’t help but feel as if this is déjà vu. Did you not pull that prank on me the first time we met?”</p><p class="p1"><em>Damn, he’s good</em>, Alfred squirmed internally. <em>Way too good, probably for me. </em>“Maybe, but...it wasn’t a prank. It was my genuine reaction. Promise.”</p><p class="p1">“I hope so, because if not you have played me for a complete fiddle,” Arthur spluttered – a small noise sounded behind them, and Alfred realised it was one of the cameramen slapping a hand to their mouth. “An absolute...oh, and on live television as well. I daren’t think of what horrendous reputation I’ve created for myself across the continent.”</p><p class="p1">Oh no. Man, he hadn’t fucked up in awhile, but he had fucked up <em>bad this time. </em>“Sir Arthur, please don’t worry about that,” he said quickly, almost tripping up on his words in his rush to reassure him. “I’m sure that everyone is charmed by you already.”</p><p class="p1">The flush didn’t seem to leave his face, so Alfred tried another tack and turned on the charm, something he should have been doing in the first place, though he didn’t know why he hadn’t. “At least, you’re still in the competition. So you could say that includes me.”</p><p class="p1">To his relief, his distress appeared to subside somewhat, though Alfred barely noticed as he soldiered on. “Even though I’m perfect, well, far from it, you still managed to bear with my antics. And for that I’m thankful."</p><p class="p1">“Oh, I...” Arthur stammered. The blush didn’t go away though, but his eyes were enough to distract him from that shortcoming of his own making. “I...Your Highness, thank you.”</p><p class="p1">“Don't count yourself out, ya know!” Alfred winked – he’d put on the charm for the cameras, might as well keep on going, right? “The competition’s just starting.”</p>
<hr/><p class="p1">That had been an odd interview, to say the least. Arthur had left the interview room and had expected to be completely blindsided, overshadowed, possibly having made a fool of himself on television and even possibly eliminated, but not breathless.</p><p class="p1">All that talk...he still felt as if the prince was an enigma, something he couldn’t quite understand. He wasn’t even sure if all of it was honest or not, but there was a sincerity behind those words. Yes, he had been royal his entire life and therefore might have been trained for these sorts of situations with a golden tongue, but Arthur thought it was prudent enough to let his cynicism slide for a moment and give him the benefit of the doubt. Somehow, he felt as if he’d managed to understand His Highness a little more.</p><p class="p1">He wasn’t leaving, and his time wasn’t over yet. That alone managed to quell his turbulent inner thoughts.</p><p class="p1">That is, until he stepped out of the cubicle and saw all the owlish eyes fixated on him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Act 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>please leave comments/feedback/interaction, would mean a lot!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Before Arthur had scarcely noticed it, ten days had passed in the palace.</p><p>That is not to say it wasn’t uneventful, but between all the meals, the prep, the various clothes fittings he’d had to undergo, the exhausting group dates, everything...it had somehow all blended together.</p><p>Though it felt as if he himself had been slowing down, everything else in the palace had been doing the opposite. The competition was moving as it usually did, speeding up in the beginning, with the number of Chosen being cut down to twenty five.</p><p>A schedule had fallen into the place the first Monday after they had all arrived. Breakfast at nine, an hour of downtime before they were scheduled to meet at the Drawing Room at ten, then the first half of an assigned group would go on a group date with the prince. The other half were allowed to take some time off in the meantime. Lunch would be served at one, hour of downtime, group two would go out at two on the dot, then refreshments at five, an hour of press engagements, dinner at seven, and finally they were allowed to what they reasonably wished until curfew.</p><p>There would always be a nerve wracking section at the end of each date that consisted of Prince Alfred gently asking three or four people to remain behind with the touch of a shoulder, cameras trained on every tap. He was either too kind or too cruel to tell them explicitly that they were dismissed from the palace, but from the expressions on their faces, not to mention the fear coiling in everyone’s stomachs every time the cinema lights came back on or Prince Alfred checked his watch and announced ‘hey, time’s up, everyone,’ all of the Chosen knew exactly what that request meant.</p><p>For his part, Arthur had not done the following: upset the prince, angered the prince, upset or angered anyone, done anything illegal, said anything insulting, or caused property damage. He hadn’t stood out particularly, either. Painfully aware that it was near impossible to garner one person’s attention when thirty odd others were vying for it, he hadn’t thought it appropriate to deliberately stage an accident, or do something outrageous for his attention. As a result, his efforts rarely went past cracking sarcastic jokes or looking just a little at him. Very little. Extremely little. A very scarce occurrence.</p><p>So when his maid Anna had come up with the usual paper slip that contained their schedule, Arthur was surprised to see that all the group dates had neatly been scrubbed clean, with only one being replaced with the timeslot ‘Broadcast attendance’ starting on Sunday, and the breakfast slot being rerouted to the Chosen’s bedrooms.</p><p>“Good morning, Sir Arthur,” she said in way of greeting, curtseying once. “Are you doing well this morning?”</p><p>“Yes, thank you, Anna.” he said, dipping his head a little in reply. Even though they hadn’t been spending too much time getting to know one another, it was good to get along with someone that was in a way disconnected from the competition.</p><p>“The Jack’s requested us maids deliver the breakfast to you starting today, so what would you want?” she asked. “You may have the usual menu, it’s just the change of location.”</p><p>Arthur pulled his gaze away from the schedule. “Have you been told why we’re moving to the bedrooms? Is it permanent?”</p><p>“I don’t think so. Jack Yao says that the advisorship and the royals are using the room to prepare for the annual meeting in two months, not to mention prepare in case of a Joker rebel assault. His Highness stated that were reports of a raid on a Diamonds holding facility last night, so they’re taking extra precautions.” Anna said. “I believe he’s written it on the schedule, but I wanted to make sure. Now, can I get your breakfast, Sir Arthur?”</p><p>“Apologies...scones, jam, clotted cream, mint tea?” Arthur rattled off; though as soon as she left he started to ponder the explanation she’d given him.</p><p>Raids by the Joker rebels weren’t unheard of. Even though their presence had only started to be known since last year, their operations had ramped up massively. Arthur remembered the flurry of rumours in his holding facility that the Diamonds coast guards – the one border that Cards shared with the Joker rebel hideout the Drift – had been having daily encounters with rebels attempting to cross illegally into Cards.</p><p>What had started out as bloody skirmishes and fruitless raids had turned into an active effort to repeal the First Law, the foundation that supported the fact that there couldn’t be more than two Jokers wielding their full power at any given time. It had been drilled into Arthur’s head from the week he’d stepped into those holding facilities, and it seemed as if the same applied to every other citizen in Cards.</p><p>Legitimate claims or not, their tactics had ramped up the past few months, so it would easily explain why their schedule had shifted so early in the process. Besides, Arthur, with a little bit of guilt, would admit to himself that he did prefer his own company than with nineteen strangers.</p><p>Once breakfast was over, Anna perched expectantly to take away his plate. As soon as it was loaded onto her serving tray, though, she bent down to whisper something in his ear.</p><p>“I don’t think I’m supposed to know, but the prince asked Lady Clare and Sir Thomas out on private dates today. I thought you would just like to know that it’s going on, though I’m a bit worried.” she hissed, cupping her mouth with one hand.</p><p>Arthur’s eyes widened – he hadn’t expected the prince to start spending one on one time officially with the Chosen so soon, especially after the schedule change. Even though he wasn’t familiar with either of them, he couldn’t help his own inquisitiveness. “Anna, can I know – how did you find out?”</p><p>She made sure that the door was locked behind them before she continued. “He came down to the servants’ quarters shortly whilst we were preparing to serve all the Chosen breakfast, and then asked for their maids. His Highness then gave them two blue envelopes before leaving. They were warned to not open it under any circumstances.”</p><p>“Well, if His Highness did it in the servants’ quarters, I’m sure that word has spread around by now,” Arthur said, attempting to soothe her. “At least, to the other Chosen. I’m sure that there are other maids that aren’t as kind as you.”</p><p>In his own way, he’d given her a compliment, and to his relief it seemed to reach her. “I’ll let you know as soon as possible when he invites you to your first one on one date, Sir Arthur, then! Good day,” she said cheerfully, taking his tea set and plate out of the room, leaving Arthur to continue writing his letter to Kiku. He’d already finished a letter to his family, so it sat patiently on top of his already cluttered desk.</p><p><em>Well, I did promise to keep a secret</em>, Arthur thought to himself, uncapping his pen. He’d already written the unpleasant thing about not being able to both meet up with Ace Matthew, nor being able to have a chance to secure Heracles’s possible pardon, so what else could he possibly tell his best friend? There was no news to rejoice at, other than his entrance into the Deciding.</p><p>Suffice to say, he was relieved that he hadn’t been asked to go a date today as writing that letter took upwards of an hour to complete, wringing out as many apologies and regrets that he could fit in. Once it had, though, he decided it would probably be a better idea to make his own way to the palace post marked on the map, instead of giving Anna a letter sent to the Hearts palace.</p>
<hr/><p>“Did you hear? He’s going to take him out to the stables after lunch.”</p><p>“Who told you? I only heard it from the others.”</p><p>There was a smugness in his voice as he responded to her. “<em>Oh</em>...did your maid not tell you? That’s a shame, I thought the two of you were getting on well, Gabrielle.”</p><p>“What? Why would your maid do that?” she demanded, their voices sounding closer as soon as Arthur turned right. “That’s unfair, Ian. Isn’t that cheating?”</p><p>“Of course not, when half the palace’s already heard about it, even the kids from the holding facilities. Not to mention the other date he’s having tonight.”</p><p>There was a stamping noise, and then Arthur heard the sharp intake of breath. “I swear, Ian – Sir Ian, if you don’t tell me who it is I’ll drag you to the chapel in the palace and sacrifice you to the Spades Fate myself.”</p><p>“Jeez, calm down...” he started to retort back, though the two of them quickly quietened down as soon as Arthur walked past them, turning away haughtily.</p><p>Anna had been right, after all. Even though he wasn’t one to eavesdrop, it was interesting to gauge who he shouldn’t and should associate with. From what he guessed, several feathers had been ruffled. All the more reason to keep shut about that night in the gardens.</p><p>Examining his map one more time, he descended down a flight of stairs until he came to the palace post office. It was a quaint establishment with an unlit fireplace, letter chute, and two out of four steel desks occupied, an unsteady rhythm of stamping and typing on the computers. Arthur had only seen the administrators in the holding facilities use them and hadn’t had the chance to even touch one, so he couldn’t help but look longingly at them through the glass panes that partitioned the post office from the rest of the palace.</p><p>He knocked once before opening the door, and was about to let it close before a familiar voice called out behind him.</p><p>It was Leon, his face slightly pink, clutching a white envelope in his hand. “Thanks for waiting up,” he panted, entering the room behind Arthur.</p><p>“Anytime,” Arthur replied, remembering to nod once in a friendly gesture before giving the envelope to the first clerk on the left. He lowered his voice. “The Hearts kingdom, if that’s all right? I’m not sure about the exact address to send it to.”</p><p>Her expression betrayed disbelief, turning the letter over a few times before looking directly back at him. Feeling self conscious, he quickly mumbled a reply. “I’m writing to a friend in the Hearts Deciding, you see.”</p><p>“Very well,” she said after a moment, neatly inscribing the address of the other palace, licking off a stamp then placing it inside the letter chute next to the large two doors serving as the exit. “Is there any other mail you’d like me to process,” she took a gander at his pin, “Sir Arthur?”</p><p>“Yes,” Arthur said, quickly remembering he’d stuffed his letter to his family in the pocket of his windbreaker. “Here, the address has been filled in already.”</p><p>“Thank you. Have a good day, Sir Arthur.” she said after she’d examined the letter and placed it on a small pile on top of her desk. “If there’s anything else you need, do not hesitate to come to the post office.”</p><p>As soon as he had turned to leave, she began typing as if she were a demon possessed on the computer. Allowing himself to savour the crisp noise, he went outside to find to his pleasant surprise Leon still waiting outside for him, even though he was speaking to a fair haired guard in training attire with a bird of sorts.</p><p>“...named him Puffin. I’d seen a photo of the bird in a book once, but it’s not a very interesting story,” he was speaking with a particularly lilting corner to his voice. “But thank you for asking, Sir...Leon.”</p><p>“No, it’s totally interesting, I don’t know what you mean.” Leon exclaimed, peering forward to stare closer at the bird. The guard’s cheeks pinked, clearly not sure how to deal with a Chosen being so close. “Look at that beak! It’s, like, the height of fashion. Not even joking, I’ve never seen anything like it.”</p><p>Noticing Arthur standing uncertainly at the doorway of the post office, the guard seemed to take the opportunity. “Sir Leon, sorry but...I believe your friend’s waiting for you.”</p><p>Arthur gave a small, noncommittal wave in his direction, though at Leon’s gesture to go over to <em>him</em> he decided to comply with his acquaintance’s request. “Sorry about the wait, Leon.”</p><p>“Don’t mind it, I was just repaying you. This is Officer Steillson,” Leon introduced, and the guard gave a weak smile in return. “He owns this exotic bird! I’ve seen him around the hallways, but haven’t seen the bird until just now.”</p><p>“His name is Puffin,” he said, bowing in greeting, one arm holding the bird aloft. “It’s good to meet you, Sir Arthur.”</p><p>Leon’s cheerful tone turned a little regretful when they heard the stomping of boots outside; probably the guards on training. “Sorry if I disturbed your schedule, though.” he said, “Have a good day, Officer Steillson. Thanks for showing me your beautiful bird!”</p><p>Officer Steillson began to thank him, though he was overshadowed by the loud squawking of the bird, as if Puffin knew exactly when he was being complimented. Sighing once, he bowed once more. “Y-You’re welcome, Sir Leon, Sir Arthur. Have a good day as well.”</p>
<hr/><p>“It’s possibly because you spend too much time in your room. I haven’t seen you in the Drawing Room since we got here. Though I’m not there that much either.” Leon said whilst the two of them were walking back to their floor. “And it’s almost been, like, two weeks. Outside of the group dates, Emma and Sakura haven’t seen you either, I think.”</p><p>“You would be right,” Arthur said. “I don’t know. I’m not very good with being social. I’ve just managed to not make anyone angry with me.”</p><p>Leon pressed his lips into a thin line, suppressing a smirk. “I suppose you should put it this way. You’re still here after the Great Pruning happened, and I guess that should, like, count for something. Right?”</p><p>“Right. What’s the Great...”</p><p>“Oh. Erm, we came up with it after the group baking date on Thursday morning.” <em>Right, the group dates were split into two</em>. Thankfully, Arthur had been part of the group that had went outside to play a faux game of croquet. Not even Kiku had been positive about his baking, though he was sure it wasn’t that bad at all. “Four people were sent home. It wasn’t a pretty sight.”</p><p>“I can imagine,” Arthur said, thinking back to the anguished sob of the girl that had been sent home after the croquet date, coupled with an awful camera behind them. “I understand that it’s also for television, but you can’t help but think about the chance that it’s you. And not everyone’s in love with the prince...at least, not yet.”</p><p>He raised his eyebrows a little, tipping his head to one side inquisitively. “You included?”</p><p><em>Another loaded question. </em>“It’s been two weeks, as you said.” Arthur said, shrugging once and trying his best to seem indifferent. “I don’t think it’s possible to fall in love with someone that you’ve only known as a historical figure your entire life in the holding facilities. So even <em>if </em>there’s that off chance, it wouldn’t come that soon. His Highness probably is keeping those that he sees a chance with later on.”</p><p>“I guess.” Leon sounded as if he were satisfied with the answer. “I won’t lie, I kinda feel the same. There are people who have been in love with the guy since they knew what love is, and there are people who want to be a queen more than a husband or wife. In a way, there’s, like, no way to tell which one he values more. It’s totally confusing, especially since we haven’t had much time to bond at all.”</p><p>“You’re right, we’re all here for different things – though...” Arthur seemed embarrassed to Leon’s surprise, his mouth slightly hanging open. “You just...”</p><p>“Hm?”</p><p>“You just called His Highness ‘the guy’,” he spluttered. Leon couldn’t help his laugh his time, catching it behind his mouth. “Wait, is that, like, a problem? You’ve heard how he talks, Arthur, surely?”</p><p>“...Yes, but well, you know.” Feeling incredibly self conscious, he wasn’t sure how to respond, thinking back to the offhand comments about the holding facilities. “I suppose the concept is too ingrained in my consciousness from being in the holding facilities, as others have said. And it’s odd, how he speaks. As if he’s just a teenager, like the rest of us.”</p><p>“He’s just a teenager in his own ways,” Leon said. “We’re not as different as some other people think. Besides, wasn’t the original idea, like, to give others the opportunity to partake in the education of the wealthy?”</p><p>“I suppose.”</p><p>Leon nudged him gently, causing Arthur’s eyes to shift from the floor to his acquaintance. “Yes, so...I dunno what it’s like in there for you, but you’re in the palace now. Things are different. So you totally shouldn't put yourself in a box you’ve made for yourself. Right?”</p><p>Arthur let his guard down one more time in the palace, and returned his light gesture. “Right.”</p>
<hr/><p>That was how Arthur found himself walking to the Drawing Room after dinner with Leon instead of instantly retiring to his room.</p><p>“Is it always as busy as this?” Arthur asked, barely able to see past the sea of twenty people in front of them. “It seems as if almost everyone is here.”</p><p>“No,” Leon said, turning the corner coolly with everyone else. Arthur tried to not look at his exquisite footwork, even without the cameras watching. “There’s, like, usually half, but there’s that date that happened earlier today as well as the one tonight. I’m assuming you’ve heard.”</p><p>“That, at least, I’ve been able to hear about,” Arthur said, whispering a little to keep their voices down. “My maid was the one who notified me. I thought everyone heard about it?”</p><p>“Not from their maids, no,” Leon said back, taking the cue. “One of the girls, Marianne, I think she’s called, got the news from Clare herself. She wasn’t very happy, you can imagine. Before I went to deliver my mail, I heard a total commotion from the floor above us, where the girls keep their rooms. Doesn’t need to be spelled out.”</p><p>Frowning, he entered the room slightly behind Leon, following him to another seat. “There must be a reason.”</p><p>Before Leon could respond though, the two of them noticed a gaggle of people had formed around a dark haired boy with an impressive physique, not cosying up to him but rather more like an interrogation. Emma was among them, so the two of them decided to listen in.</p><p>“How was it like, Thomas?”</p><p>“What was the date like?"</p><p>“What did you two do?”</p><p>With a hint of admiration, Arthur noticed that Thomas didn’t seem fazed, his eyes sparkling, excitement revealing a deep bronze glow in his cheeks. “It was quite a nice date,” he said, his well pressed shoes tapping on the floor as he spoke quickly. “We went to the gym inside the palace and lifted weights. He’s really good with his fists, surprisingly, so we had a mock boxing match. Afterwards we talked about the workout routines we followed, since we talked about it when we first met. Then we got a bite to eat. That’s it!”</p><p>Judging by the bewildered looks on some of the other Chosen’s faces, Arthur wasn’t sure that jealousy was the first thing they were thinking about in that moment. Thomas seemed to take this into stride though, chuckling at their reactions. The boy sitting next to him – Sir Alfonso, Arthur made out on his badge – laughed with him, mirth reaching past the mole next to his right eye. “Not what you guys expected, yeah?”</p><p>One of the girls shook her head rapidly, though quickly followed up with a question. “Was he cute in his sportswear?"</p><p>“Yeah, I’d say so. He was really nice afterwards as well,” Thomas continued, “Saying I could use the sports equipment while I’m here. They’re not nearly as nice as the ones in the Clubs holding facilities, so...”</p><p>“As expected from a holding facility kid. I mean, lifting weights? How unrefined,” a voice rose out of the din. Heads turned around, searching for the voice, and Arthur couldn’t help but bristle.</p><p>Sir Alfonso’s green eyes darkened, standing up and attracting the attention of the others that didn’t pay attention to Thomas’s recollection. “Who said that?” he challenged in the general direction of the voice, ignoring Thomas’s attempt to pull him back down. “If you’re so brave to call out the majority of the people who enter the Deciding successfully, why not reveal who you are?”</p><p>Not particularly liking the bead of admiration that wormed its way into Arthur’s stomach, he and Leon looked around, following the suit of the group. When no one confessed, Alfonso sat down to the again gentle chiding of his friend. “Whatever, Thomas. Forget it. Everyone knows you got that first date, and they’re just jealous.”</p><p>Arthur bit nervously at his inner cheek. He’d made a promise, and he wasn’t going to blurt it out to anyone. Especially not in the dragon’s den.</p><p>Before the charged conversation could continue, there was a sound of a pair of footsteps coming towards the Drawing Room. Arthur and Leon could only watch the stampede – the Jack, the Ace, the prince, someone else? Who could it be?</p><p>Surprisingly, the prince’s voice came over the door, and for some odd reason Arthur wanted to join the stampede to see him. “...Are you sure we can part here tonight?”</p><p>“Of course, Your Highness,” that was Clare, “Thank you so much for inviting me to the stables tonight. I thoroughly enjoyed our date.”</p><p>“Me as well,” Prince Alfred said. She pushed open the door, and then gave him a winning smile as he kissed her hand. “Have a good night, Lady Clare.”</p><p>“You as well, Your Highness!” she sang, curtseying once more before reuniting with her friends. The prince, for his part, waved at the other Chosen, while being met with adoring cries of ‘Your Highness’, ‘Prince Alfred’ and ‘Goodnight’ when he turned to leave.</p><p>As if it were clockwork, the same group that had clustered around Thomas did the same to a smug Clare, who had already fanned out her skirts and nestled herself in between two of her friends.</p><p>“How did the date go?”</p><p>“I mean,” Leon muttered under his breath as he and Arthur stayed put, “It’s totally obvious why she asked him to drop her off here. It’s not so it's convenient for her, she just wants to show it off.”</p><p>Arthur nodded, he’d guessed it was the case but it was reassuring to have him confirm his suspicions. “Though Alfonso did have a point. Thomas <em>did </em>have the first date with His Highness, after all.” The other boy was clearly unfazed, though with the varying expressions of the girls and boys clustered around Clare it was obvious that not everyone shared his comfort.</p><p>“Now we’re moving onto one to one dates, let’s see who goes home.” Leon said, folding his arms and looking disinterestedly at the group. “Let the games begin, I guess.”<br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>leave literally any of your thoughts here pls. its so lonely here.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Act 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After that day, palace life took a different rhythm than what Arthur would have preferred.</p><p>Even if Leon wouldn’t coax him to go to the Drawing Room after every mealtime, he’d usually be able to convince his friend to tag along at least once a day. As the number of one on one dates ramped up, though, Arthur found himself going with Leon regardless of whether he’d already been earlier that day.</p><p>To his pleasant surprise though, he was able to make friends, something he eagerly wrote about in his reply to his siblings’ correspondence. Though he still preferred to keep to his own devices, he and Leon were content to stick together, and usually sat with Sakura and Emma to chat as a content foursome. Outside of their little group, though, Arthur had only managed to find a friendly acquaintance in Alfonso.</p><p>“You sticking up for Thomas was admirable, the other day,” Arthur had admitted gingerly, approaching him after dinner on Wednesday evening. “Coming from someone who was from the holding facilities, it meant a lot.”</p><p>“Ahh,” the boy had replied, meeting Arthur’s outstretched hand in an enthusiastic handshake, his ponytail bobbing as he did so. “Thanks, <em>that </em>means a lot too. I’m Alfonso, by the way. I came from a holding facility myself, so...we just have to stick up for one another!”</p><p>“That sounds good to me,” Arthur had said before they had parted ways. They weren’t close in any sense, but it felt nice to at least have someone to greet or make small talk with in the morning outside of his initial group.</p><p>Speaking of the dates, though, Arthur hadn’t been asked out yet on one. <em>Officially, </em>of course.</p><p>Sure, it was all right to make a light joke about it with the three people he’d gotten along with best, but it wasn’t as if he couldn’t notice the stares and whispers in the Drawing Room for forever. By the end of the week however, when the list of people who hadn’t gotten dates with the prince had shrunk to single digits, the words <em>elimination </em>and <em>going home</em> were already flying around, and Emma and Sakura’s giggles had turned into concerned looks. Of course, all his other friends had already received dates and had had one on one time they could gush about.</p><p>“You don’t want to hear the things they’re saying about you when you’re not here in the mornings,” Leon had grumbled to him over dinner, “I won’t repeat them because they’re totally awful.”</p><p>“The usual things about holding facility Chosen, probably,” Arthur replied quietly. His eyes met with Alfonso across the table who shot him an unhappy look, confirming his suspicions. “I assumed as much. Leon, is it all right if I don’t come downstairs tonight? If they’re already expecting me to go home. Even before the Broadcast on Sunday, maybe.”</p><p>The other boy merely placed down his soup spoon and gave him a small thumbs up with his left hand. “What works for you, Arthur, I get you. I wouldn’t want to be there either, since their own dates is what, like, everyone talks about nowadays anyway. Don’t lose faith, he’s just probably getting to everyone.”</p><p>Arthur offered a half hearted smile. “Thank you, Leon.” With that, he found himself trudging back to his room straight after dinner, ignoring the expensive sounding barrage of shoes to the Drawing Room in favour of peace and quiet within his own walls.</p><p>Anna wouldn’t return after dinner unless Arthur requested her to or there was some mail for him, so it was a little disappointing when the lights of his room were off. He’d just sent off a reply to his family the day before, which meant no mail from Kiku just yet. He expected that it would take awhile, just...</p><p>He and Kiku had been living together for most of their lives, and the loss of his best friend couldn’t be compensated even though he’d managed to find friends here. Having the silence where there would be lively banter, or certainty of a laugh or a nod of understanding, was more muffling than Arthur would admit it to be.</p><p>Suddenly not being able to bear the loneliness, he decided to call for Anna after all.</p>
<hr/><p>“I’m sure Prince Alfred will get to you soon,” Anna said brightly, echoing Leon’s thoughts. “You said he got along well with you during the dates, right? So chin up.”</p><p>She was teaching him how the servants in the Spades palace played cards, a different game compared to how he and the other people in the Hearts holding facility had. Naturally she was a great deal more proficient than he was, but he didn’t mind losing soundly every time he saw an excited flush on her satiny skin or when she cheered in excitement. It had only been two weeks, but he hadn’t been more grateful than now that he was able to get along well with his maid.</p><p>“Trust me, Sir Arthur, you’re getting better every game,” she said smugly as he shook his head in denial. “Trust me! Right, you can try and beat me in this round-”</p><p>The moment she began to lay out the cards once again was when she heard another knock at the door. Picking up her skirts and walking briskly to get it, she came face to face with-</p><p>“I’ll be back to work in a m – Your Highness?!” she gaped, coming face to face with the prince. Arthur couldn’t help but follow suit.</p><p>He was clad in a leather bomber jacket and dark pants, coupled with a cheerful smile and usual untameable cowlick. Somehow, seeing him dressed in such casual wear didn’t confuse Arthur like he expected, more so clarified his character for him.</p><p>“Your Highness, please excuse us,” she said quickly, doing a deep curtsy as he entered. “Can I do something for you?”</p><p>"Hello,” the prince said, bowing lightly to her. “Miss, may I know your name?”</p><p>“Miss Anna, Your Highness,” she said, curtseying once again whilst Arthur swept up the cards neatly to one side and bowed behind her. “I came to be under the palace’s employment only recently. It’s been a great pleasure.”</p><p>Prince Alfred smiled in her direction for a moment before his eyes moved to Arthur. “I hope you two aren’t busy - am I interrupting something?" At the denial of both parties, he continued, asking the words that Arthur had subconsciously wanted to hear for days. “May I take out Sir Arthur out for a small walk?”</p><p>"Not at all - we were just resting for a while,” she said. “Of course!”</p><p>"I...right now?” Arthur stuttered, realising all too quickly his casual outfit. At Alfred’s nod though, he remembered the memo on the first night, then decided to not worry too much about his state of dress. “Yes, Your Highness.”</p><p>Once they were out of his room and walking down the nearly empty hallways, Alfred patted his shoulder, with a soft smile on his face that made Arthur’s stomach churn. “Hey, you okay? It’s a bit windy outside tonight, and you’re wearing short sleeves. Do you want to go back and get a jacket, Sir Arthur?”</p><p>“Er...I’m okay, thank you. Your Highness,” Arthur added quickly, feeling self conscious under his blue gaze. “May I ask – where are we off to, tonight?”</p><p>Alfred’s smile only grew larger as they walked. “Well, I was wondering if we could go to the gardens, if that’s all right with you. I’ve noticed that you prefer your privacy, yeah? You’re not in the Drawing Room much, and most of my dates end in there, so it’s pretty easy to see if someone’s missing! I do my best to take care of all of ya.”</p><p>Arthur’s dry mouth parted slightly in shock, digesting what he had just said. “You were paying attention?” he mumbled under his breath, half to him and half to the prince.</p><p>“Yeah! As I said, I try to take care of all my Chosen, even though that’s not that easy with all of you guys.” Alfred said, looking around the corridor which was blessedly empty. “That’s our cue, come on!”</p>
<hr/><p>After quickly descending the stairs, Arthur couldn’t help but shiver the moment he was exposed to the cold. Drat, he was wrong to be so stubborn – it really had cooled down rapidly to the point that his windbreaker wouldn’t even keep him warm for more than ten minutes if he had worn it.</p><p><em>He’s shivering a lil, </em>Alfred thought to himself, looking at his shorter companion awkwardly rub at his own elbow. Thinking for a moment before remembering his attire, he placed his heavy bomber jacket around his shoulders. The other boy shared a surprised glance with him, and Alfred allowed himself to stare a little at his green eyes before Arthur broke the eye contact. Pretty eyes, even prettier than they had been in the port photo. He couldn’t stop thinking about them.</p><p>"Your Highness...it’s not like I needed it or anything, I couldn’t possibly-” Arthur huffed, his pale cheeks colouring, but at Alfred’s pout he wrapped the jacket more securely around his shoulders and looked back at him. “...Thank you.”</p><p><em>Cute</em>, Alfred thought, before he stopped himself. “Sorry that it’s a little big on you,” he said, reaching down a little to adjust the fur collar. His knuckle accidentally strayed too close to Arthur’s cheek, and brushed against it for a second too long – it was softer and warmer than he’d expected.</p><p>He didn’t realise it was lingering until Arthur’s lips parted slightly, as if to speak. Quickly drawing away his hand, he offered him another smile. “But I hope it keeps you warm, Sir Arthur. Should we walk?”</p><p>Offering him his arm, Alfred was a little surprised when Arthur gently nudged it away with a smirk. “Your Highness, I’m sure that the wind won’t blow me away. But thank you.”</p><p>“I mean, you’re kinda scrawny, so I worry about you...”</p><p>“<em>What </em>was that?”</p><p>They both walked in the gardens, bantering all the while, uninterrupted by a lone hooting of an owl. As they approached the old outhouse where they had their first meeting, Alfred’s feet fumbled, unsure of where to take him next. Arthur shifted to steady him, then suddenly their foreheads were too close and their faces had gone completely red.</p><p>Alfred couldn't fight off his embarrassment. “I’m sorry, Arthur,” he said, straightening out his glasses and withdrawing a little. The blond’s eyes widened, and with a jolt Alfred realised he’d forgot the stupid honourific. “Sir – Sir! Sir Arthur. I’m sorry again. I won’t mess it up again.”</p><p>“No, no, don’t worry about it,” Arthur said. Alfred hoped his face wasn’t on fire, because it felt like it. “I don’t mind, truly, Your Highness. We’re alone, after all.”</p><p>Alfred smiled dopily, before shaking himself out of it. This was one of his last dates before the Broadcast, he had to stay refined and put together! “Hey, uh, what about here! Let’s sit there,” he said cheerfully, pointing with his gloved hand at a bench near a stationary fountain adorned with sculptures of flowers covering the tiered structure. As the two of them walked closer, the soft glow of the late spring fireflies matched with the lamplights.</p><p>After they had both settled down into their seats, Alfred wrung his hands nervously and began to speak, but noticed Arthur was watching, transfixed at the sight, the bloom of light barely reflecting in his green eyes. No longer fighting back a smile, Alfred watched quietly, a fortunate witness to the other boy’s wonder.</p><p>Arthur could barely drag his gaze from the sight whilst he spoke again. “...Apologies, Your Highness, it’s just that I’ve never seen them this close before.” His shoulders relaxed, eyes fixated on both the fixture and the fireflies. “It’s just...with the fountains, I never thought they’d gather around a place like here.”</p><p>“Yeah, they like gathering in the gardens around this time of year,” Alfred said. “Since the fountain was just shut off for the night, it’s not surprising they’re around water. Don’t apologise! Watch them for as long as you like, Arthur-”</p><p><em>Crap, he had done it again! </em>Alfred opened his mouth to stumble through another apology, then he heard Arthur’s soft intake of breath as more slowly appeared and adorned the fountain, forming a sight that he was hard pressed to not call beautiful. A few, completely peaceful moments passed before Arthur turned back to him, happiness conveyed on every tilt of his head, every shift of his now warm hands.</p><p>“What are we to do tonight, Your Highness?” he said, adjusting the right shoulder of Alfred’s jacket as he spoke. “I didn't really have a moment in mind, as you didn’t notify me by letter this morning.”</p><p>“Naw, that’s completely on me,” Alfred grinned. “Well...I gotta explain why I waited so long to invite you officially on another date. Jack Yao recommended that I should start seeing everyone for the Broadcast on Sunday, so everyone would have something to say. He keeps the entire palace running and knows pretty much everything, you know? So of course I’d listen to his smart advice. I figured that since we had that other secret meeting that you wouldn’t mind. I hope I didn’t make you worry, right?”</p><p>Arthur looked at him for a moment. Ducking away for some reason, he mumbled “Not at all, Your Highness,” before facing him again. “Though, I will confess that I did start to become nervous. And without a letter...”</p><p>“Right! Here you are,” Alfred said, reaching for his jacket pocket – never mind, he remembered he was wearing it. <em>Not very heroic... </em>“Oh. If you don’t mind, the right inner pocket. Yeah, that one. There you go! But you know, you should be more secure in your standing here. I was gonna post it for tomorrow, but then I finished all my work early, so I was gonna come to you and deliver it, then...yeah. Nothing really goes to plan in Alfredland, you know.”</p><p>“Alfred...land?” He looked absolutely baffled, but didn’t seem to address the comment about his position in the Deciding. Alfred thought he knew how to read the atmosphere, but maybe he was trying to ignore it like he did usually?</p><p>It was okay, though. “Yeah! My brother, Matt – Ace Mattie – Matthew calls me that when I mess up. Just like then,” Alfred stuttered, feeling his cheeks flame again. <em>Not cool! Not! Cool!</em> “I’m really sorry, Arthur. I dunno what it is; it’s just that around you my mouth doesn't really work when I’m around you. It’s probably all the favours.”</p><p>Arthur snorted, his thick eyebrows knotting together. Okay, maybe that was one thing Alfred managed to get right, not laughing at the eyebrows. To his surprise though, his cheeks were pink – so maybe he <em>did </em>understand what Alfred was trying to imply! “Favours, hm? I suppose I should go ahead and use one right now.”</p><p>“Go ahead – though it depends on what it is.” Alfred felt as if he couldn’t hide his ramping shyness any better than Arthur could. “...Duh.”</p><p>“Since you’re more than comfortable than just calling me Arthur,” he smirked, “How about I just address you as Alfred? I-In private, of course. Only in private.”</p><p>“That’s fair for a favour!” Alfred exclaimed – really, it wasn’t one at all, but owing someone wasn’t exactly a heroic thing to do. “Sure. From now, you’re Arthur, and I’m Alfred. Okay?”</p><p>“All right, Your H - Alfred,” Arthur said, huffing once in amusement and turning his head away. “Fates, there’s no need to be so excited. How many people address you by just Alfred?”</p><p>“Not that much, if you’d believe me,” he said, pouting. “I’ve tried to get a few of your fellow Chosen to call me Alfred, but they’ve all blushed and said no. What’s with that? Maybe I’m not perfect, or-”</p><p>“Your High – Alfred, you do realise that you’re a royal, yes? I understand that it’s out of the norm – honestly, I thought you were going to reject my request-”</p><p>“Of course not! It’s great to be called that,” Alfred cheered. “You know, to answer your previous question, <em>Arthur</em>, only a few people call me by just Alfred. Yao, Matthew...uh, Jack Yao and Ace Matthew, the other Primary Suit members, the Jokers, a few of their friends, and yeah. Hey, Arthur, why have you gone pale?”<br/>
<br/>
He did not look very well, Alfred observed. “Only the other...royals?” he said hoarsely, an expression of dread cloaking his face. “Oh, this is terribly improper. I’m so sorry, Your-”</p><p>“No, no, it’s <em>Alfred </em>now!” he insisted. Perhaps it was a bit childish, but he was determined to cling onto what he’d just gotten. “Alfred Alfred Alfred. No more Your Highness this, Your Highness that and stuff, okay? Please, you promised me, and I owe you that little! It’s awesome to just be addressed as Alfred.”</p><p>“I...” Alfred put on his best puppy eyes; this had to melt him, right?</p><p>“I’m serious, Arthur...please...”</p><p>“Er...all right, then. Your Highness. Alfred.”</p><p>“Awesome!” Alfred exclaimed, thrusting his finger into the air. “It’s settled then!”</p><p>There was a small lull before Arthur continued to speak. “About the other Chosen, well. They all adore you, I’m certain of it. And no one is perfect, Prince Alfred, we all have to ask for help every day. But honestly…in my view, you come pretty bloody close to it. We’ve – all of Cards, really – have been looking at you since I’ve entered the holding facilities. I think I know, at least, that you’re genuinely concerned with the wellbeing of your people, you're very open with your people and your hardships, and you're still strong even after what’s happened in your life. Even with that, you don't need to be perfect at all.”<br/>
<br/>
Alfred studied his face and found nothing but honesty in it. Perhaps it was more than risky to ask a Chosen member so early, but the thought had been running wild in his mind for so long that he felt as if he had no choice but to let it out.</p><p>“Do you think I’ll be able to find my other half here?”</p>
<hr/><p><em>I don’t know</em>, Arthur wanted to say, but of course he couldn’t say that. Not when the prince was looking so earnestly at him, genuine hope in his clasped hands.</p><p>"Your Hi - Alfred, I honestly think you're going to find the one who's going to hold your heart dear in this Deciding."</p><p>"Hey, you promised me that it’s just Alfred from now on! And well…do you really think so? I mean - there's, you know. So much people out there,” Alfred mumbled behind his palms, resting his chin on them. “Decidings have almost always ended up picturesque, but from the holding facilities, you obviously know that it doesn't always end up that way. So it’s easy to be scared.”</p><p>"I understand that, Your – Alfred, but I think love is it's own form of very complicated magic,” Arthur said, happy to divulge in what he’d learned in his studies. “I must sound like a sap, but I was raised inside the Hearts holding facility. There’s a lot they teach us about this sort of thing. Though I’m not well versed in the affairs of love, I’m aware of the intricacies behind it.”</p><p>Alfred's face softened, and his eyes seemed to regain the childish excitement, but his gaze still remained determined.</p><p>"I don't know anyone who's really fallen in love that way…do <em>you</em> know anyone, Arthur? I mean, my parents' love story isn’t anything short of picturesque, and I always wondered and admired how they fell in love in the end."</p><p>He swallowed, internally debating whether to tell Alfred about Heracles and Kiku. He wouldn’t be describing his sister’s experiences – even if he would, he would end up contorting in fury, that was for sure.</p><p>
  <em>Oh, you know, there's someone running for the position of the Queen in Hearts, and he's already deeply in love with someone! And one of the main reasons I came here was to try to get the person he loves out of the draft. </em>
</p><p>No, that definitely wouldn't go down very well. And it wasn’t exactly the entire picture, not anymore. The prince...no, <em>Alfred</em>, deserved his optimism, if not his honesty.</p><p>"Well, I <em>can </em>tell you one, but I mustn't give away their names." he said.</p><p>"Aww, why not, Artie?" Alfred asked, sticking his tongue out for a second in a playful manner. How had the prince already found an bizarre nickname for him? Yes, Kiku had called him ‘Art’, but they’d known each other for a little more than a decade!</p><p>"F-First of all, don't call me Artie,” Arthur muttered, embarrassment threatening to creep up his spine once more. “It’s...odd. Second…well, it's sort of a secret. I really can't tell you their names."</p><p>"That's fine with me, <em>Artie</em>,” Alfred teased, causing Arthur to prod him with his elbow. “Ow! But yeah, it’s okay.”</p><p>“Right, well. Well, my friend and I were handled into the holding facilities from a very young age. We were measured, poked and prodded to see if we were remotely attractive. I honestly don't see how I passed the test," Arthur chuckled to himself, but Alfred shook his head. Arthur barely noticed his hand subconsciously inching closer to his on the bench.</p><p>"Naw, I bet you passed it with flying colours," he said with a bright smile, staring deep into his eyes before turning away, clearly bashful.</p><p>Arthur turned vaguely red, but thanked him all the same. He couldn’t ignore something like <em>that</em>. The same, strange curiosity that had sprouted in his chest had only grown throughout his time in the palace made its presence known once more. <em>Your Highness...no, Alfred, why did you say something like that? Is it because you were just teasing again, or were you being earnest?</em></p><p>"But then I did, as you know. Then suddenly, I was in the Inner Circle, having never experienced such wealth or anything like that. One day…I remember,” Arthur said, casting his mind back to Kiku’s wide eyes meeting his for the first time and trying to shut out his invasive thoughts. “We had to do some experimenting with a red block. We were supposed to make it levitate or change colour. I looked to the front and he was there, and the block had changed colour to a pastel red and was nearly halfway to the ceiling. It was amazing, and judging from our teacher's expression, she had never seen such raw ability before."</p><p>"But don't you not know whether you're a Queen or a Jack? Doesn’t that make the magic you learn different?" Alfred asked. Arthur was surprised to find out that he didn’t really understand much about holding facilities, seeing they were funded by the royalty, but didn’t bring it up.</p><p>"The magic we are taught in the holding facilities gives us a basis to the point where it can be refined later.” Arthur said. “But yes, that was how we met. A few years after that, he started seeing someone.”</p><p>"So it was sort of love at first sight?" Alfred said, tipping his head to one side.</p><p>"I suppose. I wasn't quite sure how it worked or when exactly, because my friend is an extremely secretive person-”</p><p>“Heh, just like you, right?” His eyes glittered with teasing as he leaned further forward on his palms.</p><p>The blond sighed, and ran a slender finger against the leather of the jacket, and nodded. “You don’t have to put it like that, but...yes, I suppose. Anyway, they kept on meeting up during our free times during the weekends. Before I knew it, every single time we were allowed to go outside he would run off to meet him. There was a letter almost every two weeks from him and my friend would basically cry with joy. And there were scattered nights where I'd wake up and he wasn't there.”</p><p>The prince’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “Sounds like a rule breaker kinda guy. I like it.”</p><p>“Other than that,” Arthur snorted – the idea that Kiku of all people would eagerly break rules was amusing. “He was the ideal holding facility candidate. But anyway, life went on, until…a few weeks before we had to submit our forms. I know they were still seeing each other until then. It’s not even technically forbidden to have a relationship whilst in the holding facilities, since not every year there’s a Deciding like this. Most years, everyone moves onto jobs or higher education."</p><p>“Yeah, I can see that.” Alfred said. “Is that what happened to your friend? What about the person he was with?”</p><p>“Partly, yes, he moved on from the facility,” Arthur said, trying to keep his tone neutral and not evasive. “The other person, well. He was drafted into the Easterns…and he couldn't pay his way out. My friend wouldn't speak more than two words when he found out for weeks. And I really shouldn't…but-”</p><p>Arthur caught himself just in time. He couldn’t reveal that Kiku was in another Deciding right now, because Alfred was friends with the King of Hearts, and it would kill Arthur if he’d ruined Kiku’s chances there as well. “You probably understand who I’m speaking about, Your Highness. Alfred.”</p><p>“The drafted soldier?” He nodded, confirming Alfred’s suspicions. “So you didn’t really request the pardon stuff for yourself, but your friend.”</p><p>“Yes, it was.” he said, subconsciously wrapping the jacket tighter around himself now that he’d revealed his secret. “I should have stated it previously, but...I was too afraid to do so.”</p><p>Alfred’s expression was unreadable before he rose, brushing some invisible dust from his pants. To his own surprise, a wave of fear washed over him, barely buffeted by the whistle of the wind in his ears. Before he could even question why he was so worried, the thought of being ejected paralysed him.</p><p>He didn’t want to leave. Not now. Even if he couldn’t help Kiku and fulfil one of his original duties, he didn’t want to-</p><p>Before Arthur’s lips could work around an apology, Alfred wrapped him in a hug. His eyes widened, mouth hanging open and arms awkwardly hovering over the other boy’s back as the prince squeezed him. By the feeling of his strong arms and hint of muscle underneath his shirt, he was sure that the prince could easily hug him to death, but there was a cautiousness in his movements that he wanted to reciprocate.</p><p>And so he did, gingerly wrapping his arms around his back and squeezing back. He was wearing something underneath the shirt that lumped on his collarbone that barely registered. For a moment, he felt as if the wind had dissipated and any trace of cold had left his body, encompassed instead by the warmth of the other person.</p><p><em>This is beyond protocol, but...</em>Arthur couldn't help but relax in his embrace. <em>Perhaps it’s not so bad to be hugged.</em></p><p>“Arthur,” the prince murmured next to his ear, inadvertently causing him to shiver – that was his weak point, after all! “Thank you for telling me about that. It’s kinda helped me find out what life really is like outside the palace. And the love story you told me…whoever your friend and their lover are, I hope they'll be happy, whatever happens. That they’d make it, somehow.”</p><p>Arthur shut his eyes to fend off the relief he felt at those words, not to mention the prince’s proximity. “Of course, Your Highness. Er, Alfred. I’m glad that I could help you once more.”</p><p>“You've given me hope that I might find love this way,” he said, releasing him with a wink that sent his heart jittering like a fool. “And I guess a hug isn’t really proper, but you know. You looked really sad, so I thought you might need one. It’s also a heroic thing to do!”</p><p>“...Heroic thing? Well, I suppose,” Arthur snickered, teasing him just a little for the childish hero thing. “Very well then, <em>hero</em>, I’ll let you off the hook for that just because.”</p><p>“<em>Me </em>off the hook? H-Hey, I thought I was doing you a favour!” Alfred protested, but he was smiling whilst adjusting his glasses. “But yeah! It’s a hero’s job to make sure no one’s upset. And I helped, didn't I?”</p><p>“I, er...” Arthur said, nervously not quite meeting Alfred’s blue eyes. “I suppose, yes. D-Don’t get the wrong idea, though. I was just letting you comfort me. That's it. That’s all. Idiot.”</p><p>“Pfft, whatever you say, man,” Alfred grinned, looking far too smug for his contentment, as if he was a cat who’d just found a vat full of tuna. Arthur opened his mouth to retort, but he continued speaking regardless. “Though! It's getting late, so we should start walking back! Whaddya say?”</p><p>Reaching into his shirt and fishing out his clock – <em>ah, so that’s what it was underneath </em>– Arthur caught a flash of silver that fell back down before Alfred peered at it.</p><p>What was he doing? It was wildly inappropriate to be looking down there; Arthur angrily chastised himself, looking away. “Yeah, it’s around nine thirty – psst, Arthur, you okay? You’re looking away again.”</p><p>“Pardon? Oh, yes, yes, I’m all right,” Arthur said quickly, too quickly. <em>Don’t think about such foolish things such as what he’s wearing underneath his shirt, you’re a gentleman. </em>“Yes, we should return.”</p><p>To his surprise though, Alfred looked at him once more, the same mischief still there. “Hey, it’s rude to look away. So don’t, okay?”</p><p>Arthur snorted, ignored his outstretched arm and turned to go back. “What’s that, Your Highness? I didn’t hear you, I’m afraid!” Not daring to hear a response, he started to walk back to the palace briskly before the crunching of footsteps overtook him.</p><p>“<em>Artie</em>,” Alfred said playfully, not even out of breath from the brief jog as he zoomed in front of him. “I get you don’t wanna hold my arm or anything since it’s too soon or whatever, but I wanna at least look at you most of the time when we talk. So don’t look away all the time. Okay?”</p><p>“It <em>is</em> too soon,” he mumbled, folding his arms, though he couldn’t deny the other the second charge. “Very well. I’m terrible at this socialising faff, so I’d greatly appreciate if you’d give me time to improve. Is that all right, Your Highness? Alfred?” he said quickly after the prince opened his mouth to protest. “You’d have to give me time to work on that as well.”</p><p>“Huh, so you do wanna stay here after all? I mean, assuming that faa-f doesn’t mean anything bad,” Alfred said. In response, he couldn’t help but furrow his thick eyebrows in confusion. “I mean, the television interview, the first meeting and stuff like that...I thought after I couldn’t help you with your friend’s lover that you’d want to go home. So I’m surprised, yanno.”</p><p>Arthur stuffed his hands deeper into his pockets, but he continued to speak. “Oh. I’m sorry, but I’m not good at communicating that, either. But for what that’s worth, I don’t intend to leave, Your...Alfred. Perhaps not at the start, but I didn’t expect to have such a positive relationship with you.”</p><p>“We’re friends now, right? A-At least I hope we are,” Alfred said, an unexpected nervousness to his speech. When Arthur nodded, he relaxed instantly. “Awesome!”</p><p>Seemingly nothing else to be said, the two of them walked back to the palace in content silence. To Arthur’s surprise, Alfred led him to the entrance closest to the Drawing Room. “Alfred, that’s the entrance to the-”</p><p>“Trust me,” Alfred winked, opening the door and letting him go through first. Three people were just leaving the room, the faint glow of light and bustle of conversation peeking through the crack of the door. They instantly stopped, all eyes on the pair of them as soon as they entered.</p><p>“Hey guys, how’s it going?” he said brightly, waving to them. At the chorus of ‘doing well’ and ‘how are you tonight?’ he took it in stride. “I’m just coming back from a date with Sir Arthur here. Are you getting ready to go back to your rooms?”</p><p>Arthur could barely hear anything past the pounding of his heart and the thrum of heat burning in his ears, but there must have been a reply as Alfred waved goodbye, then placed a steady hand on his back, leading him upstairs. “There you go. Now the rumours are gonna stop, right?”</p><p>“Rumours?” Arthur echoed, his eyes widening. Did the prince mean to dispel them by visibly coming back with him in tow? “How did you-”</p><p>“I <em>did </em>say I went to the Drawing Room a lot, you know.” Alfred said, rubbing the back of his neck in self consciousness, remembering to keep his voice down for once. In the background, there was the sound of people scurrying up to their rooms in time for curfew, though Arthur barely heard it over the sound of his voice.</p><p>“Ya hear a lot of stuff there. People talk during breakfast too. It’s also kind of my fault that you got, uh, <em>another </em>date so late, so it’s a hero’s job to take care of you. I also get what it feels like to be talked about behind my back, so yeah.”</p><p>“I...thank you,” Arthur mumbled, not quite sure how to react to the sincere words. “Sincerely, Alfred, thank you.” He wasn’t sure what to say whilst they were walking up to his room, so they maintained the comfortable silence, although it was tinged with something else, something Arthur couldn’t place this time.</p>
<hr/><p>When they arrived at his room, Alfred looked as if he wanted to say something. “T-that is, not to say our first date was a problem or anything,” he blurted, “It’s just that, uh, Yao recommended that I speed date with everyone, yanno, for the Broadcast so everyone has stuff to say, it’s not personal-”</p><p>The corner of Arthur’s eyes crinkled in amusement; he’d repeated himself. “No, no, I understand,” he said, making a motion with his hands to calm him down. “Truly though, I enjoyed our time tonight. Thank you for coming to speak with me.”</p><p>“No problem, Arthur,” he grinned, placing an arm in front of his stomach and bowing. <em>We’re in public again, but you’re still calling me just by my name</em>, Arthur thought embarrassedly, but he tried to not to wince and returned the gesture. “See you around, hopefully?”</p><p>“That’s up to you, correct?” This time he couldn’t resist smirking, even just for a little bit. “In that case, see you around, I’d like to believe. Goodnight, Prince Alfred.”</p><p>“Not as much as you’d think, I guess, but sure! Goodnight, Arthur!” Alfred said cheerfully before he left. Arthur watched until he was a speck in the hallway before coming into the room.</p>
<hr/><p>The date was...</p><p>Arthur need think only of the knuckle that had brushed against his cheek for a heartbeat too long, and the magnetic smile, and the warm hug, and the-</p><p><em>Change of plan,</em> Arthur thought to himself, his cheeks having reverted back to being beet red. <em>Sod it all. No more thinking, go to bed.</em></p><p>Shaking his embarrassing thoughts away once again, he shut the door behind him. Wondrously, his once messy room had been neatly made up, with a small note from his maid in small, neat writing.</p><p>“Sir Arthur,</p><p>I hope you had a nice evening with His Highness. I’ve cleaned up the room and reorganised your wardrobe, as well as replenished the things for your bath. If you need anything please let me know.</p><p>See you tomorrow,</p><p>Anna.”</p><p>“I must thank her tomorrow,” Arthur mumbled to himself as he shucked off the jacket.</p><p>Oh bollocks, the <em>jacket</em>! He’d completely forgot to return the bloody thing...it was probably worth a million gold alone...oh Fates, he was going to be arrested for theft.</p><p>But what if it was his plan all along? To leave the jacket for him? His thoughts raced through his head as he placed the invitation letter on top of his desk and very, <em>very </em>carefully hung Alfred’s jacket on one of the empty hangers.</p><p>Alfred probably loved the thing if he wore it all the time, then again he was a prince, so clothes were probably disposable, but if he did wear it to go on the first official date with Arthur, it probably would still have some sort of value.</p><p>He got ready for bed with one ear glued to the door, expecting for a maid or a butler to pick it up, but by the time it had slid past ten thirty, Arthur was too drowsy to stay up another moment longer, let alone process the events of the day.</p>
<hr/><p><em>Plan worked!</em> Alfred thought to himself, squeezing his hand into a fist and thrusting it inwards.</p><p>He’d left the jacket, spent time with Arthur like the awesome hero he was, and helped him out of a pinch with the rumour stuff!! That surely would give him a chance, right?</p><p>Entering the corridor where Yao and Matthew’s rooms were, he made sure it was clear before allowing himself to childishly skip to his room. Thankfully, maybe things had gone well tonight in Alfredland after all.</p><p>Even though Alfred had the entire pool of Chosen to choose from, the boy with the thick eyebrows somehow made him want to get to know him more even without much effort, admittedly. That earlier conversation with him in the garden had only made Alfred even more hopeful. They weren’t even close or anything, but...</p><p>A friend tonight...maybe a chance for something else tomorrow?</p><p>“I guess I need time myself too, heh,” Alfred muttered to himself, noticing that the lights in Yao and Matthew’s rooms were off before closing himself into his room for the night.</p><p><em>There you go again, Al, dreaming about silly things you can’t have</em>. Removing his glasses and cleaning them with the edge of his shirt, he walked restlessly around his room. He was certain Arthur was smarter than him and was right about it being too soon, but he wasn’t brave enough to ask whether there was a chance the other guy would be interested in him.</p><p>Between all the planned dates for tomorrow, plans he’d have to go over with Matthew and Yao, visits he had to pay to Katya, the weekly port call he and Ludwig liked to have, Alfred managed to fall asleep, fireflies glowing quietly behind his eyelids.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Act 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>please leave comments/feedback/interaction, would mean a lot!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first thing Arthur responded to was the sunlight slashing through his tinted windows and a sense of relief. Partly telling one of his secrets to Alfred felt like a huge load off his chest. He got ready for the morning, requesting the same foods he’d eaten yesterday and steadfastly refusing any of Anna's help in attempting to tame his unruly hair. Perhaps he’d even go downstairs to the Drawing Room that morning after breakfast.</p>
<p>She produced a slightly thick envelope with a red seal whilst she came upstairs to collect his serving tray. The ones that came with his family always had a simple piece of tape over it; this must be from Kiku. His calm thoughts were quickly replaced with a sense of panic.</p>
<p>Arthur’s suspicions were further confirmed by the elegant, sloping writing that he’d admired his best friend for countless times writing out <em>Arthur Kirkland. </em>About to tear into the letter, he paused when he noticed Anna waiting expectantly.</p>
<p>“Sir Arthur, before I leave you for the day,” she said, “Could I just double check with you that the clothing’s fit you so far? In case it doesn’t, we’d have to do another fitting today, since we’re still working off the measurements submitted by the holding facility on your behalf. For the Broadcast, that is.”</p>
<p>“I haven’t had any problems, no,” Arthur said. “Don’t worry about it, the measurements were taken around two months ago.”</p>
<p>She acknowledged this with a nod, arranging his cup on her tray. “What about your outfit? Do you have any ideas?”</p>
<p>“I’d like to leave that to you, if that’s all right. I don’t have a sense for these things.”</p>
<p>“That works for me,” she said cheerfully. “See you,” to which he replied in stead.</p>
<p>As soon as the door was shut, Arthur’s fingers scrabbled to open the letter, barely taking a seat before he roved over it.</p>
<p>“Dear Arthur,</p>
<p>I hope this letter finds you well.</p>
<p>Thank you for notifying me of your conversation with His Highness. Please, do not feel too guilty for not being able to secure a pardon for Heracles. I expected as much, but I must also thank you for trying your very best. I know you did your utmost, and I greatly appreciate it. I am aware it is a far fetched question, but please, if there is any news about his conditions write me immediately.</p>
<p>Moving on, may I ask how it is in Spades? Of course, I was delighted to find out that you entered the Deciding. We had the pleasure of watching your interviews when they aired last night; you seemed incredibly charming and in your element. Though I will suspect that the person who was against the idea of the prince has changed, as well.</p>
<p>No matter, though, Art, I know that you understand yourself the best, not I – though I hope I know you well enough by this point. How is your family? Knowing you, you have written to them a dozen times already. If you must know, the letter I received from mine was merely to congratulate my entry, and to not forget that afterwards, if I failed to become chosen by the Fates, my duty was to simply return to my studies. Would it be too cynical to say they knew exactly of my plans?</p>
<p>That is not to say, I do not have the ambition to become the Hearts queen. Of course, it is a tall ambition. Like we were told countless times in lessons, the price of giving up their ability to choose their external successors in exchange for the power of giving life was made centuries ago, so there is nothing we can do about it except prove ourselves to those who <em>can </em>choose. In some ways, the atmosphere in the palace is like a ticking time bomb, and we are all powerless to do nothing but accept it.</p>
<p>How are you choosing to fill your empty hours? As you know me, I’ve decided to continue perusing my studies within the restraints of this fine palace. I was surprised that you did not make a beeline for the library as well.</p>
<p>Finally, do not worry. Please write as much and as frequently as you wish, as I will be doing the same. Our letters are not screened in Hearts either, so you may communicate whatever secrets you wish to tell me.</p>
<p>I remain</p>
<p>Your dearest friend,</p>
<p>Kiku Honda.”</p><hr/>
<p>The second thing that Arthur responded to that day was the quiet knocking on his door that was distinct from Anna’s cheerful series of raps.</p>
<p>Quickly abandoning his pen and letter with a flash, thanking the Fates he hadn’t knocked anything over, he opened the door to see Leon’s face.</p>
<p>“Good morning, Leon,” Arthur said, feeling slightly out of breath. “Is there something I can do for you?”</p>
<p>“Arthur, morning. Could you, like, come down to the Drawing Room just for a sec?” Leon’s normal speech was fast, but somehow he managed to speak faster and not trip over his own words. “If you’re very busy, maybe not, but.”</p>
<p>Though he had been the friendliest with him throughout the few weeks they had been here, Arthur still wouldn’t chalk it up to himself to become completely trusting of Leon so quickly.</p>
<p>“Can I ask what’s the occasion? Or is it just going to be the same as usual?”</p>
<p>Leon snorted, an expression of mirth on his face. “Arthur...you had a date yesterday, right? Finally.”</p>
<p>“Yes, I suppose,” Arthur said, biting his lip. The small plan the prince had concocted the other day had possibly gone a little <em>too </em>well. At Leon’s quizzical appearance, he rushed to clarify it. “I mean. Yes, we did. Last night.”</p>
<p>“You need to come down,” he insisted, a flash of excitement passing over his usually composed face. “They’ve been talking incessantly about it. When I came back down for breakfast, they totally wouldn’t stop hounding me about it!”</p>
<p>“Oh...I’m sorry about that, Leon,” Arthur said, quickly following his friend’s example in rushing down the corridor to the boys’ rooms. He barely had time to try to wipe off the ink on the side of his right hand during the run.</p>
<p>“Anything you want to tell me that you can’t tell the others?” Leon said. Feeling completely out of breath, Arthur could only shake his head, his hair getting even messier in the process. “Damn, really? That’s a shame. No juicy details, huh?”</p>
<p>They rounded the corridor and down the steps. “No, it was just, er,” Arthur panted, taking a moment to adjust his collar. “Talking. We went to the gardens and talked. That’s all.”</p>
<p>A hint of surprise flitted onto Leon’s face, but he didn’t show any more of it until he opened the door. The two of them were suddenly staring down a far too eager group that had been waiting impatiently.</p>
<p>It felt as if all hell had broken loose.</p><hr/>
<p>Almost immediately, Arthur fell into the same behaviour that he’d participated from time to time in the past week – he sat on a couch, Emma, Sakura and Leon sitting around him, everyone else following suit except one person. Sir Mark, apparently, was on a date, but that’s all he was allowed to ask before he was bombarded with questions.</p>
<p>“Where did the two of you go?”</p>
<p>“The gardens, I think – Marianne said that’s where it looked like they were coming from.” One of the Chosen seated on the left piped up, looking at the girl. “That’s what she told us, though.”</p>
<p>“Yes, the gardens,” he said hesitantly. Of course, he didn’t want to share everything, but he <em>could </em>use the attention to his advantage. “We just exchanged words, though. Nothing nearly as romantic as what everyone else has been having with His Highness.”</p>
<p>It was, in his head, the perfect deflection. Put himself out there, state that their date wasn’t anything to be particularly excited about, then the questioning would be over and everyone would move on to the next person. He <em>needed </em>this plan to work, because he was painfully aware of a few cameras noticing the action and positioning themselves appropriately. It had to work, correct?</p>
<p>To his dismay, he could see a mixed reaction with the narrowing of eyes and frowns to the slacking of shoulders and sighs of relief. “Seriously?” someone responded, their tone disbelieving. “Just talking?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” Arthur said. “Just speaking with one another.” Boldly, perhaps a little <em>too </em>boldly, he continued on. “I’m certain it was nothing nearly as romantic as what everyone else had expected. His Highness was probably just giving me something to speak about on the Broadcast on Sunday.”</p>
<p>A light muttering broke out amongst his peers. Marianne, the girl from before, stalked forward, her arms folded. “Are you deflecting, Arthur? Attempting to avoid letting us find out the true nature of your date?”</p>
<p>The words hung in the air to great effect. “What? I wouldn’t do anything of the sort.”</p>
<p>“You’re from the holding facilities, correct? Are you trying to trick us all deliberately?” she sounded angry, and Arthur let his lips press into a thin line as he felt his friends shift uncomfortably around him. “Telling bare faced lies? Just tell us the truth.”</p>
<p>If she thought he would take it without complaining in order to remain outside of conflict, she was wrong. “It’s not a lie,” Arthur retorted, bristling. “You can even ask His Highness yourself.” It was possibly a foolish move, but he understood that they would only listen to Alfred now he’d worded it so oddly.</p>
<p>“Actually, we’ll wait for him to get back from his date with Mark, then we’ll ask, hm?” she said. “To see if you’re <em>really </em>to be trusted. It goes without saying we don’t take kindly to liars in the palace, do we?”</p>
<p>Mumbles of agreement echoed around the room that sunk into Arthur’s stomach. He couldn’t show weakness, so he folded his arms and glared haughtily at her. “Very well. We’ll wait until he returns, then you may ask him all you like.”</p><hr/>
<p>“Didn’t expect that to happen,” Leon hissed, his gaze darting around the room. “At least, not what anyone expected. I totally trust you, Arthur, but...”</p>
<p>"I was going to tell you that Mark finally got his date today, but you knew that already." Emma said. Arthur tried to ignore her shaking hands fiddling with the edge of her yellow dress. “And I do too...but I didn’t expect the two of you would just be speaking.”</p>
<p>Sakura didn’t speak, simply agreed in tandem with the two of them, but concern was painted all over her paling face. She could clearly sense Arthur’s nervousness, though, offering a small smile.</p>
<p>"Well, that's a lot better than what I was thinking I'd get,” Arthur said, not sure exactly what to say that would help alleviate their worries and his own in the same go. “I was expecting to go home before the week was finished, but it seems like it won’t be the case.”</p>
<p>Bracing for a scathing comment, he was surprised when none came. When the small group fell silent, he couldn’t help but tune into what the others were saying.</p>
<p>“...do you think they....you know?” someone whispered, not exactly attempting to be discreet. He was pretty sure it was being done on purpose but yet he couldn’t help but quieten his breathing so he’d be able to hear better past the thudding of his heart.</p>
<p>“I don’t think so, but there are a lot of things you can’t put past a holding facility kid. Of course, I wouldn’t suspect His Highness to engage in any sort of behaviour like that.” another said. “Though again, if he tried something like that, he wouldn’t even be here right now.”</p>
<p>“You’re overthinking it.” Arthur recognised the voice this time; to his surprise Alfonso had got up from his seat. “Maybe he’s just private. It’s not like everyone’s shared minute by minute recounts of their dates.”</p>
<p>“I agree,” Sakura said quietly, after a small lull. A muttering broke out between the group; she was almost always silent during these types of discussions. “Privacy is something everyone can have.”</p>
<p>“You’re from the Inner Circle,” someone muttered, “Don’t even bother.”</p>
<p>“She’s right, it doesn’t matter here anymore,” Emma retorted, standing up with her friend. Arthur couldn’t help but blink at her in gratitude as well. “We all had the same schooling, had pretty much the same upbringing, so it’s unfair to pick on others.”</p>
<p>This caused even more commotion, though. “The past three Decidings in a row have been won by people outside of the holding facilities,” came a response. “What do <em>you </em>make of that? Everyone knows that the holding facility kids just want to get a fancy job in the government to feed their starving families.”</p>
<p>An incredibly charged silence followed, and of course he had to be the one to break it.</p>
<p>“Is there something wrong with that?” Arthur snapped, getting up indignantly and standing in the general direction of the speaker. “Is my motivation of giving my family a better life a crime?”</p>
<p>“We didn't even say it was,” a boy rose to counter him, his name badge thumping on his chest, as he folded his arms. “If you really wanted to earn as much money as possible, why aren’t you applying for a government job instead of lounging around in the palace? There are some things you can’t learn in the holding facilities no matter how hard you try, and behaviour is one of them.”</p>
<p>Scathingly, he continued, walking forward until he physically towered over Arthur. “You’ve surrounded yourself with three people from the Inner Circle, surprise surprise. It’s almost like you know they’re greater than you, but don’t want to admit it. Well, <em>Sir </em>Arthur, have either of them told you to not speak up to your superiors in terms of rank and birth? Surely not, as those ghastly eyebrows and ratty hair hasn’t changed from the first day. Perhaps it would be better to cower behind them until the prince arrives, yes?”</p>
<p>“You just want a rise out of me.” Arthur snarled. His hands balled into fists; even though he’d stuffed them into his pockets the anger was still there. “To get me out of the competition. I’ve read the rules.”</p>
<p>“Oh, what a good student,” the other boy said mockingly, jutting his chin forward causing Arthur to stumble backwards. “Clumsy, aren’t you? Did they not teach that in the holding facilities? Oh, that expression is certainly not befitting of royalty. It seems as if I’m going to get that rise, facility boy.”</p>
<p>If it hadn’t been for that cool hand tapping him once on the shoulder, Arthur might have socked him on the jaw. Or on the nose. Or both. He just knew that Leon hadn’t pulled him backwards with a noncommittal, disapproving face, the other person would have been crying out in pain.</p>
<p>“Sit back down, Arthur,” Leon hissed, “You’re right. Don’t forget the cameras are going to capture everything. Sit back down and don’t pay attention. Okay?”</p>
<p>Right. The blasted cameras. Exhaling once, Arthur unclasped his fists, smoothed the crease between his eyebrows, and sat down. A rather anticlimactic to a potentially good fight for television, but he wasn’t willing to risk it. He’d prefer not to be arrested for assault. After all, each week in the palace meant more compensation to his family. Even if the prince got sick of him and Ace Matthew ended up not seeking him out, for that reason alone he was inclined to stay in the palace.</p>
<p>“...tch. Next time, you won’t have your friends pulling you back. Then you’ll be gone before the next Broadcast,” One last taunt that Arthur shut his eyes tightly to ignore. “Won’t that be a wonderful reward for your parents?”</p>
<p>Arthur’s voice was suddenly like a magic amplifier, quiet yet charged.</p>
<p>“My parents? They’re dead.”</p><hr/>
<p>It was right before dinner until they got to discuss it for themselves.</p>
<p>“...that’s what happened this afternoon.”</p>
<p>“I see, thank you, Carlos,” Matthew and Alfred chorused. Once Alfred had caught wind of the spats between the different factions that had cropped up, Matthew had requested Carlos investigate the matter more closely. Even though Alfred wasn’t exactly on the best terms with him due to his own treatment at the hands of the advisorship, he was relieved that Matthew could trust someone so firmly.</p>
<p>“Is there anything else the two of you would like to know, Matthew, Alfred?” Carlos asked. Thankfully, any semblance of formalities had been eliminated between themselves long ago. “Such as the people involved? There’s video footage, if you would want me to put it on the port again. I showed the footage to Matthew before you returned from your date with Sir Mark, Al.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, sure,” Alfred mumbled, readjusting his position and placing his chin on his hand lazily.</p>
<p>Matthew pinched his brother’s cheek. “You’d like to watch this whilst Carlos and I sort out the rest of the Meeting preparations for today,” he said as the two of them moved to leave the room. “He worked very hard on it.”</p>
<p>Though he hadn’t had time to actually seek Arthur Kirkland out for himself, the boy seemed to be making waves around the palace already. His date in the gardens with his brother had already made its way to the maids that aided Matthew; and Matthew himself had heard a small ramble about him from Alfred’s own lips already. Admittedly, he didn’t contact him just yet as he didn’t have time to notify Gilbert of Kiku’s friend entering the Spadian palace, but it seemed as if he already had a lot on his plate already.</p>
<p>“Ready, Matthew?” Carlos asked, already at the door that separated the twins’ offices on the first floor. “You seem to be awfully busy.”</p>
<p>“Perhaps,” Matthew said quietly, dipping his head as he walked past in thanks. “At least, if you weren’t leading this part of the project, I would be completely snowballed in work. Thank you for letting me assist you.”</p>
<p>Carlos laughed, a familiar, hearty sound that never failed to put him at ease. “I try my best at my job, you know? All right, so what I’ve done is section out Day Three of the discussions by sector and export, such as...”</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Alfred was watching the argument. His shoulders hunched together, his eyes narrowed behind their glasses and his hands barely moved from their clasped position. He, Yao and Matthew had discussed about this potential problem. Fates, he’d even spoke to Ludwig of all people about it. But to think it was that bad...</p>
<p>What could he possibly do?</p>
<p>Okay, the easiest solution in the world instantly popped in his mind and that was to call Yao. A disastrous idea would to be to punish all of them, but it also came up in his mind – at least, that’s what Alfred would have done if things were easier, as a hero. Apparently the divide between Inner Circle and holding facilities was deeper than he anticipated. That means he’d have to ask someone to help him respond instead...</p>
<p>Thankfully, Sir Mark hadn’t asked him to deliver him to the Drawing Room after their date. It would have been exceedingly awkward to go inside and wait for the answer that they were all waiting for, especially when it would have caught him off guard. Duh, Alfred knew what to say, but he didn’t know <em>how </em>to say it.</p>
<p>That was how he found himself asking Yao during dinner about how to respond appropriately. Surprisingly, the dinner table was as lively as ever, like the argument never happened, though when Alfred’s gaze drifted across to the people in the video there was tension in their tight lipped expressions and unfocused eyes. Arthur in particular looked particularly quiet, speaking only to his companions, which made Alfred worry even more.</p>
<p>Every heroic bone in his body made him want to go over to Arthur and comfort him, though in public it was probably a bad idea. He’d already made the guy get into a bunch of trouble without meaning to, anyway...</p>
<p>“Well, I think it would be best if you spoke to them tonight, actually,” Yao said in response to his question, causing him to pull his gaze away from the Chosen. Probably a good idea too. “In the Drawing Room, where everyone can hear. I trust, Alfred, you know what to speak about?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, mmf, I have a rough idea,” Alfred said through bites of his pheasant which had just arrived, though he quickly put down his fork and wiped at his mouth when Yao gave him a piercing look. At least he wasn't speaking as loudly as he usually did, and the cameras knew to give them some privacy tonight. “At least, tell them that the Chosen from the holding facilities are right, that there’s no difference, and stuff.”</p>
<p>“Something like that,” Yao said, Matthew nodding along. The three of them ate in silence for a moment, before Matthew piped up. “Actually, maybe you shouldn’t put it that bluntly, like that’s the only thing you know what to do?”</p>
<p>“Huh? Aw, Matt, you don’t have to be so mean,” Alfred sang, taking another bite. “Though, any ideas, bro?”</p>
<p>Matthew grimaced, taking a sip of his water before continuing. “Don’t be so blunt like you usually are,” he said, “It might even cause the others to harass the holding facility candidates even further. Let’s start with the problems one by one, yes? First, the accusation that Sir Arthur’s date was fabricated. From the video, was he lying?”</p>
<p>“Nah, not at all.”</p>
<p>“Then say it, simply, that he didn’t,” Matthew said. “Even a simpleton like you could understand, right? After that, I guess you could say that the two of you prefer your privacy. I’m sure he’s not the only one.”</p>
<p>Yao placed down his wineglass and nodded. “Dates are meant to be private, correct? The Chosen share the details of their dates all the time, but not everyone is comfortable with it. Say something along those lines, and how you appreciate your own privacy from time to time.”</p>
<p>“Okay, got it,” Alfred said after mulling the idea over in his head. “So, uh, how do we prevent this sorta stuff happening again in the future?”</p>
<p>Matthew and Yao exchanged a glance. “It’s not simple, as we discussed previously,” Yao said. “These prejudices aren’t able to be solved overnight, they’ve been here almost since the advent of the holding facilities. Of course, we know that the Spades Fate places the Mark only on those that the royal loves, but there’s no way to prove that their choice was not influenced by their previous social ranking.”</p>
<p>“No way to disprove it either.”</p>
<p>“Yes, well...” Matthew took a bite of his potatoes. “Even though the prejudices have lessened, as we’ve noticed, they’re still there. So you must be careful when it comes to these things, Alfred. To save anyone from being singled out, you should speak privately.”</p>
<p>He nodded, acknowledging their comments, but from the crease inbetween his eyebrows and the way he ate his dinner uncharacteristically silent it was clear he was thinking of something. Both members of the Primary Suit knew it was best to leave him with his thoughts in that state, so dinner proceeded without another hitch.</p>
<p>That is, until almost every plate was cleared.</p>
<p>Alfred stood up, the mere action commanding attention from every person in the room. For a moment, Yao could truly see the boy king that he knew he was destined to be - the strongest, most charismatic person in every room.</p>
<p>“Everyone, in lieu of the Broadcast on Sunday, I’d love to speak to you all individually in your rooms,” he said, his voice projecting itself with ease. “I understand that everyone’s pretty nervous about it, so I want to help with alleviating your fears. I’ll be popping in over the next three days to speak with you all, if that’s all right? If you’re not available at that time, I’ll simply come back later.”</p>
<p>At the murmurings of comprehension, Alfred smiled. “Thank you, everyone. With that, may I ask a request of you all?”</p>
<p>The simple sentence brightened up the room, where a loud chorus of ‘Yes!’ and ‘of course’ punctuated as if they were pops of a fireplace. It served to make his smile brighter.</p>
<p>“Is it okay if I come with you guys to the Drawing Room tonight? I’d like to see how it is in there.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Act 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Arthur felt all the food sitting in his stomach recoil. As in, the prince coming directly there with everyone in tow? Surely no one would be daft enough to <em>not</em> go tonight while he was there.</p><p>Not to mention, the other Chosen wanting to hear from the lips of His Highness himself about their date...</p><p>He couldn't help but fidget uncomfortably in his seat. Sakura peered at him over Emma and they exchanged a look. She offered him a small smile and he reciprocated it, but the sinking feeling wouldn't leave. More than aware of the eyes on him now, he could only straighten out the tablecloth on his lap and do his best to ignore it all.</p><p>Encouragement rose from the others, which Arthur couldn't even attempt to imitate. Yes, he knew that no one else's opinions truly mattered except the prince's in his point of view, but he was also sure that everyone else could make his life a living hell. What use would he be to his family if due to his own crass mouth he'd be sabotaged?</p><p>Not noticing the prince's eyes rest on him for a split second, he followed Leon as everyone else filed out of the dining hall, Alfred among them. He could barely pick up on bits and bobs of the conversations Alfred was conducting with his fellow Chosen, but nervousness drowned out all the usual self consciousness with having the prince so close. He <em>knew</em> he hadn't done anything wrong, yet why was he so nervous? It made him feel weak.</p><p>As the people in the front pushed open the doors and turned on the lights, Alfred was gently directed to sit down in the usual plush armchair that everyone sat in when it was their turn to be interviewed. From what Arthur could observe, he was laughing at some joke Emma cracked whilst everyone was arranging themselves around him. Seeing her get along so well with him cheered him up somewhat.</p><p>"This chair's super comfy," Alfred smiled, to bouts of agreement. "Is it special, guys? I mean, it's probably one of the best in the Drawing Room. Of course, I'm not usually allowed in here, so you all have to tell me."</p><p>Arthur recognised Alfonso rise up from the crowd, marked by his mussed hair. "Sorta," he said, rubbing at his mole as he spoke, bashfulness in the slight movement. "How do I put it? When everyone comes back from their dates and want to talk about it, we give them the chair so they can talk about it a lot."</p><p>Alfred's smile grew even wider. "People talk about their dates with me a lot? Man, that's kinda embarrassing, you know." For a moment, his eyes met Arthur's over the top, which sent the nervousness tumbling back down his throat. "At least, I'm a little surprised everyone's sharing."</p><p>"You don't have to be embarrassed, Prince Alfred!"</p><p>"Everyone's been having such a good time, we're just trying to share what happened with everyone else."</p><p>"Well, most of us." And sure enough, there were too many pairs of eyes trained on Arthur. Surprisingly, though, he noticed that others were also staring at a few other people pointedly – Sakura, Mark, the girl who had shared her holding facility with him. "Yesterday, we asked someone about their date and they didn't share a single thing, which is a shame..."</p><p>Alfred's eyes widened – maybe a little <em>too </em>wide for Arthur's peace of mind. "Really? Darn, I guess I was that bad, huh." Laughter rose from the group, and he nervously joined in. "Who was that in particular?"</p><p>"That would be me," Arthur said. He'd been called out, but curse the Fates if someone asked for him. "I did tell them that we'd went in the gardens and had a bit of a chat, but it wasn't enough for <em>some </em>people, I suppose."</p><p>He was more than tempted to go on a mini tirade, but then remembered the ever present cameras were here and he'd prefer for his family to not see a scathing outburst.</p><p>"Was he right though, Your Highness?"</p><p>"If you don't mind telling us!" Light clamours rose from what felt like every corner of the room. Leon silently placed a smooth palm on top of Arthur's hand, his expression unchanged. Before Arthur knew it, his fingertips reached out to touch his friend's as a small show of thanks. "Did that happen last night?"</p><p>Unsurprisingly, he took it in stride. "Yeah, it was pretty fun. We just sat near the bench and got to know each other a lil," the prince said cheerfully, making a waving motion with his right hand. The sandy blond couldn't resist smirking for a few moments, before realising that Alfred was looking straight at him as he spoke. "It was a really nice date, and I enjoyed our time together a lot."</p><p>There was no mistaking the honesty in his words, and Arthur couldn't help but flush at his admittance. So Alfred had enjoyed it, as well...</p><p>"Though..." he had started speaking again, "Gonna be honest, there's a lot of private people in the competition, so it's okay if everyone doesn't wanna share, okay? I'm pretty private myself, but you know. Comes with the profession and everything."</p><p>This obviously garnered laughs, Arthur included, happy to mask his own relief. He was surprised that Alfred would jump to his defense so readily, but managing to carefully mask it behind a generic statement. A far cry from the flustered teenager that he'd been speaking with previously – though at the same time it was the person that he'd watched stride into the dining room the first night.</p><p>It seemed as if everyone had nodded in unison, because he'd moved on to talking about everything else. "Is that what you guys do here? For some reason I thought you guys played cards or something – wait, you do? Who's the best player here? I gotta play with you guys sometime when I'm off work; Allen always teases me about it. Oh...uh...Allen? From the Andantinos? Yeah, since we became allies, he plays me all the time when he visits but I'm, uh, not very good..."</p><p><em>Off babbling again at Mach Three speed</em>, Arthur thought to himself, but didn't fight the small bloom of fondness that spread through his ribcage. <em>Thank you, Prince – no, Alfred.</em></p>
<hr/><p>It was ten minutes to curfew until Alfred stood in the center of the room and called everyone to attention, talking about the arrangements before the Broadcast on Sunday.</p><p>"I'm sure your maids have all made something super!" he clapped his hands together; looking as cheery as he had at the beginning of the session, which frankly was another thing Arthur couldn't understand. How was he still going strong after three literal hours of socialising? "But yeah, thanks so much for showing me around. Next time I wanna come in, can I ask you guys?"</p><p>At everyone's expression of approval, he continued. "Awesome. I won't keep you guys up any longer, so I'm sending you all to bed. Over the next few days, please keep an eye or ear out so I can come talk to you all. If you're not there, I'll leave this-" He held up a piece of blue card. "-On your desk so you know I've been there, okay? Please do find the time to speak to me before the Broadcast. I'll start by speaking to the gentlemen first tonight. With that, get some rest, everyone!"</p><p>With the choruses of 'Goodnight', Arthur headed up with Leon as he usually did, saying goodbye to Sakura and Emma who peeled off earlier on the girls' floor. Saying goodbye to him as well, Arthur carefully shut the door closed and greeted Anna, who had her hands behind her back and enthusiasm splashed on her dark cheeks.</p><p>"You won't guess what I came up with," she said, her eyes sparkling with pride as she held out her hands: they were two exquisitely drawn sketches. One contained an intricately coloured dark blue pea coat, another one with immaculate looking pants and lace up boots. As Arthur peered closely, she had written out all his measurements in impeccable handwriting.</p><p>He flashed back to when Alfred had mentioned the clothes for the Broadcast. Was this...</p><p>"Yes, it is!" Anna exclaimed proudly, handing them to her liege. "I hope your trust was well placed, Sir Arthur. What do you think?"</p><p>"Absolutely, absolutely, yes," Arthur mumbled, not sure how exactly to comment on the spectacular illustration – what would it look like if it were an actual outfit. "Frankly, I'm not even sure I can wear such a wonderful entourage-"</p><p>She was already gathering her things, her feet jittery and her hands hurriedly shoving things into the pockets of the clean cut pants she was wearing. "Nonsense," she said, "I just need to finish work on the buttons and then we can fit you tomorrow night, just in time for your appearance! I promise on the Fates it's going to look amazing. Though," she broke off one more time to peer at him, "Ahh, I'm so relieved you liked my first outfit! But are you <em>sure </em>the measurements are correct?"</p><p>"Y-Yes," Arthur stuttered, though he couldn't help but smile at her excitement. "Thank you so much, Anna. It's beyond what I could imagine ever wearing."</p><p>"Pshh, we're just getting started," she winked, hurriedly closing the door until there was just a crack. He thought she had disappeared, but her brown eye peeked through once more. "I <em>am</em> dressing the future princess or queen, right? I have to step up my game!"</p><p>Before Arthur could respond and deny her charge, she'd dashed off, so he was left to smile softly to himself. Her enthusiasm <em>did </em>rub off on him, to the point where for the first time since coming to the palace he felt cheerful enough to sing in the shower. It came slowly as it always did in a bathroom uninhabited by Kiku's small, neat bottles of soap, but in the end he was comfortable enough to belt a few lines whilst drying off his unkempt hair.</p><p>That is, until he heard a faint knock on his door. Yelping, he quickly wrapped the towel around his neck and shut his mouth. After a while, there wasn't another noise to contend with. Had it been his imagination after all?</p><p>Exhaling once, Arthur fiddled with the band of his pajama pants. He'd managed to bring his pair from the holding facility, but it wasn't exactly in the best condition...</p><p>Whatever complaints about his pants disappeared into thin air as soon as he heard another knock. Realising he wasn't wearing a shirt and Anna probably wouldn't appreciate it, he quickly grabbed one he'd carelessly thrown on the chair, called out "Coming!" whilst he put it on. Flinging open the door, of all the people in the palace, of all the people in <em>Cards</em>, it had to be Prince Alfred.</p>
<hr/><p>It was a little bit past eleven, and Alfred was getting tired, which was a feat for an energetic guy like him.</p><p>He'd decided to visit the gentlemen first when making his rounds; since in his head it would be the best to climb up all those stairs now rather than later. He'd gotten through three people before managing to get to the fourth room, the last for the night. Hey, at least it was more than he'd expected to get through by eleven o'clock!</p><p>A pleasant surprise was passing Emil on his way to Sir Leon's room. Alfred knew him better than most fledgling guards in the palace, since he was best friends with his adoptive father figure thingy Matthias. When he'd come to the palace, it had been a bit of a fish out of water moment for him, so Alfred was glad he was tending so diligently to his duties. With a wave goodbye, he stopped in front of the door and raised his hand to knock, until he heard singing emanating from the room.</p><p>Oh shoot, yeah! This was Arthur's room, Alfred realised with a grin as he recognised the voice – just barely. It was a surprise, albeit a pleasant one, that such a grumpy guy with a harsh tone produced an angelic voice masked by the sounds of a shower. Standing there in the hallway felt like a treat. The melody seemed to be from a traditional song that Alfred didn't quite recognise since it wasn't the stuff he liked to listen to, but he was content to let it wash over him for a minute or two before he knocked.</p><p>To his dismay, the singing immediately stopped, followed by a yelp that Alfred struggled to not laugh at. There was a bit of banging and stumbling around that made him think he wasn't exactly available, so maybe he should try again tomorrow?</p><p>Some irrational nagging in his mind made Alfred <em>need </em>to talk to him, though. He wasn't sure what made him want to exactly, between the genuine smile when he'd talked about their date to the vulnerability in the dining room. He just felt that there was gonna be a lotta things that needed to be said between them, that's all!</p><p>That said, if he was really busy or something, he wouldn't disturb him...</p><p>Before he could hesitate again, Alfred rapped on the door once more and stepped backwards. Suddenly, he felt the urge to smooth down his shirt, tuck his clock back into it and fix his jacket, as well as fix his hair and straighten his glasses. What was with that? It's not like he wanted to look his best.</p><p>"Coming!" <em>Phew</em>, <em>guess he's free, after all. </em>The door swung open, and Arthur's eyes were wide as soon as he saw him. "A-Ah...good evening, Your Highness." Not being able to help it, he pouted instantly at the use of the formal name – they were alone, right? "Er, Alfred."</p><p>"That's better! Are you free for a bit? I wanna chat with you about the Broadcast and stuff."</p><p>"Well, come in, then," Arthur said, opening his door just enough to let him inside. His room was messier than Alfred would have imagined for such an uptight guy – the pillow on his chair had fallen to the floor, pens lay strewn across the table and his wardrobe was wide open.</p><p>He couldn't resist the urge to tease. "Nice wardrobe," he smirked, tilting his head and watching Arthur's cheeks pink.</p><p>"I...oh, shut it, Your H-Alfred," Arthur sputtered indignantly, his thick eyebrows knitting together. Striding to the wardrobe, he was about to shove it closed until his attention drifted onto the jacket. "Bollocks. Er, I'm sorry about your jacket...there just wasn't enough time to-"</p><p>Alfred crossed the room, gently plucking it off the hanger which it sat on neatly. "Hey, that was my mistake. You don't have to apologise for that." Shucking it back on, the familiar weight made a sigh of relief escape from his lips. "Thanks for keeping my bomber jacket safe for me, Arthur."</p><p>For some reason, he flushed a little and looked away. "N-Not like I did it for <em>your</em> sake specifically," he muttered under his breath, folding his arms. "I just took pity on you having forgot it, you know. That's...that's all."</p><p><em>Cute</em>, Alfred thought, and he couldn't stop his intrusive thoughts this time. Or maybe he didn't want to. It felt as if he wanted to say something, but ended up doing something completely different to deflect. Somehow, it was something he could sympathise with.</p><p>"So, Arthur," Alfred said, shaking himself out of his thoughts, "Do you wanna sit for a bit? Since there's quite a bit of stuff we have to go through."</p><p>"Of course – please, sit on the chair next to the desk." Arthur gestured, pulling out another chair from where it was parked next to the door. "Is there anything I can, er, do for you, Your...Alfred?"</p><p>"Uh, you doing okay? You know, after everything that happened today." Alfred said – might as well get it out of the way, right? "I tried to assist as much as I can, but please let me know if you didn't feel as if I did enough. I will say that I'm not the best with speaking but I'm sorry that you were singled out like that."</p><p>"Alfred, please – don't apologise, it's not your fault at all." Arthur said, twisting the sleeve of his shirt with his thumb and forefinger, looking much more vulnerable than before. "I'm not...a hundred percent sure why I was targeted specifically, but I do have a hunch."</p><p>"Maybe it's because we've been getting on so well, as...friends," Alfred finished, somewhat lamely. This kinda stuff he couldn't really help because he couldn't hide his dumb attraction as much as he wanted to. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, gauging Arthur's reaction. To his relief, Arthur slowly nodded once. "I suppose, yes, Alfred. As friends. Friends."</p><p>"I...Arthur, I know you should probably answer this question on the Broadcast, but can I ask – what do you think about me? Really?" Alfred couldn't help blurting out, his cheeks reddening even more. "Not, not as a prince or anything, but me. Alfred The Person."</p><p>His hunched shoulders relaxed. Then he exhaled and let out a very long sigh. A moment passed. Then another, and then another until Alfred realised it was dumb. Man, what was he even doing? He was supposed to brief him on what would happen on the Broadcast, not ask Arthur about whether there was a chance he'd be into him, too!</p><p>"I was under the impression we'd be discussing the events of the Broadcast, Alfred, not...whatever this is," Arthur said. The words were scathing, but the barely feigned smile spoke otherwise. "But very well, since you've done so much for me already."</p><p>"There's a lot about you that I don't quite understand." <em>Yikes. </em>"At first, whilst I was still in the holding facilities I thought you were a bit of a twit," <em>Man, that doesn't sound good. </em>"Then you grew up and turned out to be an unreachable person on television, serving the military and getting on in your studies-"</p><p>Something in Alfred's chest got unreasonably tight. Arthur wasn't the first one to feel this way, not by a long shot. It had taken Matthias and the other guys in the military that he'd served in six weeks to stop calling him exclusively 'Your Highness' in their downtime, even when their lives were on the line during service. Even now, he'd only been able to convince Arthur to drop it, sorta. And it was pretty clear that he wasn't a hundred percent used to the idea, either, so...</p><p>Screw it all, he was afraid. If Arthur decided in the end he didn't return his feelings back, that was okay. His friendship meant enough to him right now. But the thought of him already being left behind by the other boy caused him to panic. Just a little bit.</p><p>"Listen, I'm not unreachable...!" Before he could even realise what he was doing, his hand shot out and reached for Arthur's forearm, desperate to convince him. The golden chains of his clock jingled. With a jolt, he stopped himself just before his hand touched him, staring at Arthur's surprised face. Oh, Fates. He'd completely, totally, utterly screwed up. It was over.</p><p>It was a charged silence. Alfred's face was on fire for all the wrong reasons, and he couldn't look Arthur in the eye, or look anywhere that wasn't the floor. "I...I'm sorry, Arthur," he mumbled, stuffing his hands back into his pockets. He cleared his throat, trying to get rid of the lump in his throat, his feet already turning around to face the exit. "I'm really sorry, I didn't know what came over me..."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>please leave comments/feedback/interaction, would mean a lot!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Act 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Oh, what had he done wrong now?</p><p>The prince looked as if he’d been struck by a two ton bull. What had been an initially pleasant conversation had almost led to further bodily contact between them, and then he’d recoiled as sharply as he did the day they first met. His head was dithering, and all the sunniness had been sucked out of his body, leaving him in a more miserable position than Arthur had seen him in before.</p><p>When he talked in the interview about another side to the prince, he wasn’t expecting this at all.</p><p>“Alfred,” Arthur said, not quite sure how to handle the situation except in a gentlemanly fashion. “Alfred, what’s wrong? There’s nothing to apologise for.”</p><p>“...Huh?” His response was short and startled. Dragging his gaze from his floor, their eyes met for a moment. He adjusted his glasses, unable to stop his fingers shaking. “I mean...sorry, say that again?”</p><p>“There’s, er, nothing to apologise for,” Arthur said – calling him untouchable was what had seemingly upset him, perhaps he disliked being labelled like so. “Did I upset you, by saying that you were untouchable? I apologise, but I was being honest in my feelings.”</p><p>“I...I guess, yeah,” Alfred responded, clearly holding back some form of emotion. “It’s just that people have treated me with gloves all my life, so it felt really nice for you to call me by just my name. Yanno. That’s why I’m kinda overbearing on you with that, I’m sorry. But just you calling me your friend back, and indulging me with my silly requests...it felt like you were gonna stop. And I kinda freaked out, I’m sorry. I’m not good with-” he gestured weakly at the room, hands waving all over the place until Arthur realised he was speaking about the Deciding. “-this. Any of it.”</p><p>“If it makes you feel better,” Arthur said, sitting down once more. He quickly followed suit, wiping his glasses on his white shirt uncertainly, and gaze catching on the firm tremor of Arthur’s Adam’s apple. “Neither am I. You’ve heard the criticisms about holding facility candidates, I’m sure. And I felt as if I could have prevented the incident in the Drawing Room had I not been so abrasive, but that’s neither here nor there. Point is, Alfred, that’s all right if you feel out of place, as everyone else is here too. And don’t think your requests are silly, I understand why you’d want to do them.”</p><p>The dark cloud that had been hanging over the blond’s expression lifted. “Really?” he exclaimed, visibly perking up, shuffling his chair closer to Arthur with a snag of his foot. “At least, umm...I think everyone expects some kinda perfection outta me. And that’s scary, but I’m doing my best to deal with it, even though everyone makes me nervous.”</p><p>Arthur couldn’t resist, the temptation was far too tantalising. “Even me?” he teased, but was surprised when Alfred broke their eye contact, covered his mouth with his right hand and <em>blushed</em>.</p><p>He hadn’t thought of the prince as someone that could be considered cute, but...</p><p>“Uh...yeah. E-Especially you.” Alfred stammered, bright scarlet written all over his cheeks. Arthur could hear the sound of his immaculately pressed shoes fidget on the marble floor, drowned out by the feeling of heat rushing through his own ears. He repeated it again, much more slowly that he had before. “Especially you, Arthur.”</p><p>“Wait...wait,” he replied shakily, tripping over his words in his shock. “You mean-”</p><p><em>It had been so soon!</em> Arthur thought, panicking in spite of himself. <em>What...how...</em></p><p>The prince cleared his throat, barely meeting his confused and embarrassed gaze. “When, I, uh, asked you about what your opinion of me, I kinda, uh, also wanted to know...about your f-feelings towards me. Kinda. Sorta.”</p><p>Arthur could only gape, rendered without a barbed taunt. How could he do such a thing when His Highness was so clearly vulnerable? “Does that mean you’re...”</p><p>
  <em>Interested in me in a way beyond friends? Confused about our relationship, as I am as well? </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Something else...?</em>
</p><p>“It’s only been around a few weeks,” Alfred mumbled, jamming his hands in his pockets once more, “But I kinda...want to ask. It is possible that you, uh, could feel the same way? N-N-Not now, of course, but down the line.”</p><p>“...” Arthur didn’t know <em>what </em>to say. Surely the buffoon knew the rules of his own contest? But having feelings for him...o-of course, it was only because of the rules that he was...considering the possibility...just because of that. There was no other reason...</p><p>But when he saw the tiny, hopeful smile tugging gingerly at Alfred’s lips, Arthur realised that, just for the time being, he couldn’t deflect both himself and the prince.</p><p><em>He’s even more helpless than I thought... </em>“Alfred, you are...aware that we’re expected to have feelings for you, entering this competition, yes?”</p><p>“I mean,” Alfred said, “Of course I’d like that, but I do understand that things change, you know? Not everything’s a fairy tale, and we can’t expect that kinda stuff to happen in real life all the time. I’ve always hoped to marry for love in a Deciding, but that’s just it. A hope. Sounds dumb, huh?”</p><p>Arthur could pick out a bashfulness within the embarrassed babbling, and felt a new pang of sympathy for the prince. The Deciding was a rite of tradition; it wasn’t as if he really had a choice to go through with it or not. Taking a deep breath, he reached out and gently placed it on top of Alfred’s hand, inadvertedly feeling his calloused knuckles. What was he doing? This was so foolish, it...</p><p>Alfred sharply inhaled, his mouth opening slightly with shock. “Arthur-”</p><p>“Alfred...it’s not foolish to want to love your future queen,” Arthur said - he daren’t move his hand, or any other muscle in his body. “Don’t ever think that. I’m certain that everyone in the competition would want to hold your heart dear to them. It’s just a matter of finding whom you hold dearest. It doesn’t take a lot of reading of romantic novels to know that.”</p><p>
  <em>That might not be true, but how can I say that to him? Not when he’s so hopeful, like this. It’s worse that I don’t even understand my own feelings towards him. I want him to know that he can succeed, beyond the mask he’s made for himself. He’s also holding back, but I understand that he might have even deeper reasons than I do. </em>
</p><p>The prince peered at him from underneath his fringe. “You really think it’s not selfish?” he mumbled thickly, tilting his head, his hair dangling in his eyes even more. “You know, I’m the prince and everything. And it’s not just my future partner; it’s also the person that helps complete the Primary Suit. I can’t help but feel that it’s selfish. It’s sorta an unspoken rule, but the sooner the Deciding ends, the better it is for everyone.”</p><p>“At the cost of your own happiness?” Arthur pressed. “Surely you must trust your own judgement.”</p><p>He frowned, and Arthur quickly decided that he wasn’t nearly as big of a fan of his frustrated face than his cheerful one. “I do, but...I doubt myself more than ever. Yao and Matt already are full fledged members of the Primary Suit, whilst I don’t really have much experience in the role of a king. You know I don’t act as a royal should-”</p><p>“You don’t need to tell me...”</p><p>“Hey, that’s mean! But I’m right, right? I’m inexperienced, and there’s so much I gotta improve on, and, and I dunno if I’ll be able to complete the process correctly, and-and-and I’m so nervous but I don’t even know who to ask about this sort of stuff, and-” Before either of them knew it, tears were falling into Alfred’s lap, a slow steady drip that sent tremors through his own ears. “I’m scared, Arthur. I’m really scared, and I hate saying it because it’s not heroic, but I’m so scared, sometimes. And I’m sorry for coming on so heavy like this...!”</p><p>Remembering the warmth of the hug that night in the gardens, Arthur gingerly moved forward and tried to communicate the same thing that Alfred had done with him. Uncertainly, his slender fingers wrapped around the other boy’s larger hand and gave it a small squeeze.</p><p>There was absolutely no way he could initiate a <em>hug</em>, but it would have to do. Even so, he desperately hoped that he couldn't sense the trembling in his grip.</p><p>“Arthur?” Alfred breathed, welling eyes darting over to where their palms were now touching. A tiny tremor ran through his body, Arthur noticed, though he wasn’t sure what to make of it.</p><p>“Alfred...please, don’t be so cruel to yourself,” he said – he couldn’t stop now, or he’d feel like he’d burst. “You don’t need to apologise for being human. It’s okay to be frightened. I don’t think I’m the right person for this, but you should speak to those that you trust. Even though I don’t think I can really help, I’m sure that the rest of the Chosen will listen. And...me too. I suppose.”</p><p>Taking a moment to catch his breath, he observed his reaction. He’d never talked that much to someone he didn’t really know past his public image still, yet the alien vulnerability the prince showed made his heart ache. In that moment, even though they weren’t close in the normal sense of the word, he felt as if he needed to be there for him.</p><p>Alfred swallowed, the sound reverberating around the room. “I – you really think so?” he asked, smiling. It was muted by the drying tear tracks on his face, but it was still there.</p><p>“Yes, even though, as you know, I don’t get along with everyone, I can feel the care everyone has for you. People, even if they’re from the holding facilities like me, wouldn’t choose to come here for no reason. We had to choose between the three kingdoms this year, and no one’s decision was made lightly. Not even me, especially with consoling you so soon after we’ve been acquainted.”</p><p><em>Oh, bollocks. I didn’t mean to say it, I just was trying to be a gentleman, not to become closer to him, or he’d think I’m soft. </em>Quickly, he clarified his point, fighting back the familiar bead of embarrassment. “It’s not like...<em>I </em>think you’re special, or anything, it’s just that it wouldn’t be proper of a gentleman to leave you to your piteous thoughts.”</p><p>Somehow, the comment seemed to fly over Alfred’s head. “You’re right,” he said after a moment, free hand loosening his tie. “I should, Arthur. It’s gonna take some time, but,” he half smiled, half grimaced, “I need to do it, right?”</p><p>“Your Highness, you’re not a child,” Arthur chastised, and then paused at his pout. “Sorry. Alfred.”<br/>
<br/>
“I’ll try my best, then! Since it’s a heroic thing to do!”</p><p>Arthur snorted; he really didn’t change much at his core. “Very well, hero. I suppose you do heroic things already, haven’t you? Putting up with the Chosen and whatnot, for me. I suppose,” he finished awkwardly.</p><p>For some bizarre, odd reason, the prince ducked his head, avoiding eye contact with him. He mumbled something under his breath that Arthur didn’t quite catch.</p><p>“Pardon?” Arthur said, leaning forward until he realised that he’d decreased their distance without meaning to. Jolting backwards, it took the warmth of Alfred’s hand clasping his own to realise that he’d been grasping it for longer than he’d intended to, and he shouldn’t have, but he thought Alfred needed the comfort and-</p><p>“...your hero.” Before Arthur could let go of Alfred’s hand, the other boy gave it a small squeeze.</p><p>“...? Pardon, Alfred, I couldn’t quite hear-”</p><p>“Back there, in the Drawing Room, I...” Alfred’s cheeks burned, but for some unfair reason they served to accentuate his bashful smile rather than fluster him. “I really, really wanted to help you. And in a way, I guess I got to be your hero, even if it was just for a moment. It made me super happy.”</p><p>Acutely, Arthur could feel Alfred’s partially roughened fingertips shift on his knuckles, and the warmth emanating from his hand, as well as the small space where their palms dare not meet. Honesty was painted all over his face, so much so that Arthur couldn’t deny it.</p><p>He’d been unwilling to confront the mere possibility of being in love, he thought as he felt his ears warm and it was <em>his </em>turn to avoid the other’s gaze. It was true that he wasn’t, but now...</p>
<hr/><p>“My bad that we didn’t get to talk about the Broadcast much tonight, but I know you’ll do well.”</p><p>It was probably well past midnight by the time they’d finished talking. It had been pretty awkward to segue out of his own dumb insecurities, but the other guy was just too good at being composed, way more than he’d ever been.</p><p><em>He’d make a good royal, </em>the thought flashed into his mind before he could stop it. Fuck, man. It had been a <em>month</em>. He was nowhere near ending it as much as he wanted to.</p><p>Arthur didn’t even say whether he was open to possibly seeing him past friends...</p><p>But between that reassurance he’d shown him, the remarkably gentle sensation of Arthur’s smaller fingers touching his hand, and the sincerity of his reassurance Alfred couldn’t blame himself for hoping even more now.</p><p>“Perhaps you should have discussed that first and foremost,” Arthur was now saying, his arms folded but no real anger in his expression. “...idiot.”</p><p>“I’ll keep it in mind for next time,” Alfred sang. <em>His face doesn’t match his words at all! </em>“But yeah! If you need any assistance on the topic, just let me know.”</p><p>The pair stood awkwardly in Arthur’s doorway for a few moments. Alfred hoped that he couldn’t hear his heart going a billion miles a minute whilst he waited for a response, but Arthur simply nodded. No firm answer to the question, huh.</p><p>Fighting back a tide of disappointment surging into his throat, Alfred bowed and said a quick goodnight. He’d even turned to leave, hearing the beginning of the hinges of his door close and the flick of his bedroom lights close, but a small cough from Arthur for some <em>reason </em>made him turn around.</p><p>The door had been moving closed, but just had enough space for Alfred to see the entirety of his face, barely lit by the moonlight hovering through the windows.</p><p>“Prince Alfred,” Arthur whispered, his voice fainter as if to draw him in closer. “I...please, wait one moment.”</p><p>He tried to keep his voice light. “Huh? What’s up, Arthur?”</p><p>“I...” That’s all he got until he realised Arthur’s pale cheeks were painted in a deep flush, skittering across the bony bridge of his nose and mingling with what looked like faint freckles from their proximity. Alfred tilted his head closer to meet his gaze, and he couldn’t help but shy away, avoiding it. “Oi! D-Don’t look here, idiot...”</p><p>Conceding, Alfred took a step back. “Sorry, man. Is there something wrong with all the stuff I said?”</p><p>“No, it’s-” Right then, he caught a flash of the vulnerable expression that the sandy blond had only shown in the Drawing Room earlier that day. With baited breath, Alfred heard him speak quietly. “About your...query regarding my feelings towards you, I will confess that I do not feel a strong romantic attraction to you as of present.”</p><p>Oh.</p><p>Gotta be honest, Alfred wasn’t completely sure how to react to that pretty cold rejection. “Uhh, heh, that’s okay,” he stammered, forcing his shoulders into a shrug. “You know, I only-”</p><p>Arthur’s green eyes glinted in the moonlight. “I haven’t finished,” he said, making Alfred feel as if he was being told off by Ludwig again. “That being said, it has only been a month or so. And as far as I know, which I do, the amount of Decidings that have ended within a month can be counted on one hand with two fingers cut off.”</p><p>Alfred frowned. Sometimes he spoke a little too quickly and fancily for him to understand. “How many is that?”</p><p>Arthur sighed, raising an exasperated eyebrow. “Three, Your Highness.”</p><p>“Hey! You know it’s Alf-”</p><p>“<em>Point</em> is, and...oh, Fates, I can’t believe I’m <em>saying </em>this, but,” Arthur bit his lip, before his gaze met with Alfred’s. “I believe, if you’d allow me, that with sufficient time, my feelings could c-change.”</p><p><em>Nooooooooooo! </em>Alfred cried internally. So it <em>could </em>get worse! Not thinking straight, he blurted, “Change, as in...hate me?”</p><p>“What? You...you’re honestly incredibly dense,” Arthur spluttered, his eyebrows knitting together in frustration. “Honestly, I...why do I even...oh, Fates. Just forget it-”</p><p>“Hey, that's not fair!” Alfred exclaimed, stopping the door from swinging further shut with a small press of his hand. Arthur stared at where his hand made contact with the door almost in disbelief, and then looked back down to his face. “Please, it would mean a lot if you were gonna be honest with me. What were you gonna say?”<br/>
<br/>
It was kinda unheroic, but he broke out the puppy eyes. Arthur, he figured, wouldn’t be getting all flustered over an insult or to purposely let him down, which would mean-</p><p>“I’m <em>saying</em>, Alfred,” he said, hugging his arms closer to his chest, the tips of his ears pinking, “That there is a possibility – a <em>possibility</em>! – that I may, one day, reciprocate your feelings. That’s all.”</p><p>Oh.</p><p>
  <em>Oh. </em>
</p><p>It took every cell of his working overdrive to not whoop with happiness. In his excitement, he dashed forward and gently took Arthur’s cold hands in his own.</p><p>“Wha – let go of me, you idiot,” Arthur spluttered, grip trying to shrink away, but Alfred’s warm hands wouldn’t let him scuttle away that easily! “Idiot! I-I said let go of me, if someone sees I’ll conk you-”</p><p>“Really?” Alfred yelped. He ran his fingers through his hair in a movement so quick that the other boy almost missed it. “Gosh, I...wow...you mean it?”</p><p>“...I said what I said!” Arthur muttered, looking away once more – maybe he felt as embarrassed as he did? “D-Don’t make me repeat it.”</p><p>“Thank you,” Alfred said, taking great care to not accidentally crush his smaller, more delicate hands. They were surprisingly soft and refined to the touch, but maybe that was because they’d been doing nothing but scholarly work. “Thank you so much, Arthur!”</p><p>“I just said a <em>possibility</em>, mind you,” he said, but the blush was still there and he had stopped trying to pull away, their eyes meeting once again, albeit for a moment before darting away. “It’s not like I even confessed, or anything, so there’s nothing to thank me for. But you’d better not count me out, all right? I understand if it doesn’t mean that much to you, since I’m sure you’ve had plenty of people confess their love-”</p><p>“It <em>does </em>mean a lot, a lot! To me!” Alfred exclaimed. His awesome smile felt as if it was gonna drop off the face of the earth. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’ll do my best! Goodnight, Arthur!” He wasn’t sure if he could withstand another bit of hope that the other boy could give him tonight. Dropping his hands quickly, barely being able to wait for his response, he prepared to sprint back to his room-</p><p>“Wait.” Arthur said, peeking from behind the small crack that he’d afforded in his doorframe. There was a pause, he looked down at his no nonsense tartan slippers, then his eyes met Alfred’s. “G-Goodnight. Alfred. Don’t overexert yourself.” he whispered.</p><p>It occurred to Alfred to tease him about the looking away thing, but he decided that he’d already pushed the guy too far tonight. “Goodnight, Arthur. Get some rest, okay?”</p><p>He nodded, and Alfred thought that that was the end of it, but even as Arthur pushed the door closed, they shyly maintained eye contact until the tiny slit in the door vanished.</p>
<hr/><p>A few days later, on the evening of the Broadcast, Leon was chatting up a storm with the guard outside his door when Arthur came outside to meet him from the Broadcast. He looked incredibly put together, as always, with a well fitted waistcoat and matching ivory pants. His behaviour was as refined, with a wave that Arthur reciprocated after he said goodbye to the guard.</p><p>“Ready to go?” he asked, giving Arthur’s attire a quick look. He was wearing the blue coat that Anna had prepared for him and simple black pants. “I hope you’re not, like, nervous. It’s just an interview, after all.”</p><p>Arthur snorted. “You say that as if you’re not nervous,” he said. Leon simply shrugged in response, and the two of them made small chat as they walked down the stairs. They talked about their maids, acquaintances they’d made in the palace – Arthur was a little envious of his ability to make friends with so many different types of people – and were discussing their families back home before they arrived at the palace studio.</p><p>Unsurprisingly, since they’d only been around ten minutes early, the ‘good’ seats at the front were mostly filled. Arthur was more than happy to sink into a seat behind Leon and Emma, who was there already, in the second row. Sakura arrived just shortly as they sat down, in a stunning pink dress that caught the studio lights, accentuated by the barrage of compliments from her three friends.</p><p>“It is quite pretty, do you not think?” she said cheerfully, though something was a little bit off in the way she kept arranging her skirts and Emma looking at her with a hint of concern. “My maids really worked magic – oh, there is the prince!”</p><p>Emma’s furrowed brow quickly smoothed over the moment Prince Alfred walked over to the Chosen, who had largely convened by this point. All of them instantly flocked to him, some more enthusiastic than others, Arthur (shamefully) included. The casual attire that he’d seen on him last night had been effortlessly replaced with a black suit coupled with an electric blue tie. Still, the loud colour didn’t scorch Arthur like Alfred’s radiance did. As he spoke with the other members of the Chosen, there was an easygoingness to him that Arthur envied. Talking about such things like the weather, the food, cracking a few jokes...</p><p>Suddenly, over the top of someone’s head, their eyes met. The tiny smile on Arthur’s face vanished, waiting for him to send him a wink or a teasing gesture. Instead, to his surprise, Alfred merely blushed then looked away, probably replaying the conversation they had last night as well.</p><p>It lasted for just one moment, but disappointment beaded up in his throat that they couldn’t have a chance to speak.</p><p>...Disappointment?</p><p><em>It hadn’t even been twenty four hours, but some things have already changed between us, </em>Arthur realised with a jolt. <em>Usually he’d make fun of me, but...</em></p><p>
  <em>At the same time, it’s not just his feelings that are changing. </em>
</p><p>Could it? Could he be attracted to, dare he say it, the literal crown prince of Spades? It was a waste of breath to deny the possibility, yes, but have it develop into something that might become serious in the future? To the point of him becoming the Queen of Spades?</p><p>
  <em>I knew what I signed up for when I submitted the form, but the possibility of having actual feelings manifest, I...</em>
</p><p>“Arthur, you okay?” Unexpectedly, Alfonso nudged him, a playful expression on his face. “You’re looking kinda pale. We’re, erm being told to sit down now.”</p><p>Oh Fates, he’d spaced out again. “Oh yes, pardon me,” Arthur said hastily, sinking into his seat. The Broadcast hadn’t even started, and he was frazzled about the same person that he was due to speak about in a few minutes. “Thank you, Alfonso.”</p><p>In response, the other boy gave him a quick thumbs up, and that was all the conversation they were able to have until the studio lights dimmed and music started to play. Taking a deep breath, Arthur tried to steel himself for what was to come next.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Act 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>sry for slower updates everyone - just losing a bit of steam :) been wanting to rewrite this chapter for the longest time, lol.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Alfred stuffed his right hand in his pocket as he counted the number of people in the crowd he could pick out. First, there was Matthew and Katya were sitting in their usual spots, conversing with another. Carlos was behind him – was that Berwald on duty? – a few familiar cameraman, the advisors...</p><p>“Alfred, we’re starting in three,” Yao said, saving Alfred from himself. “What’s that you’re looking at – oh, I’m sure Katya and Matthew are just discussing how we’re going to keep her in Spades this year. That’s all.”</p><p>“<em>Yao</em>, that was a half hearted guess, you know I didn’t mean it,” Alfred said, trying to not pout. When Katya, as Joker, had first been assigned to Spades two years ago, Alfred had hoped for a match between them and foolishly confided to Yao about it. Soon after, it became quite clear that neither of them were attracted to each other, and as a result Yao would lightly tease Alfred about his futile matchmaking attempts. “No need to tease me about it already!”</p><p>“Yes, yes,” Yao said. “Still, it was quite amusing when you were willing to bicker with Ivan over it.”</p><p>“Of <em>course </em>you had to be there.”</p><p>“That’s correct. I must watch out for you and Matthew at all times, as my lieges.” Yao said. “Also, to ensure that you and Ivan don’t punch holes through each other unsupervised – I thought you were trying to not pout?”</p><p>Alfred couldn’t help but pout even more. “Yao, that’s mean – aww, don’t pinch my cheek!”</p><p>In response, his mentor only smiled indulgently. In the years since their parents’ passing, taking the role of parent to both Matthew and Alfred had been difficult at first, but Alfred knew that no single person would have done a better job. “All right, all right. Well, we better take our seats. If you need anything, as agreed on, just speak as if you’re speaking to the three of us, yes? But tonight the spotlight will be on them, not you.”</p><p>“Not complaining about that.” With a squeeze of hands, they parted to sit on their separate chairs.</p>
<hr/><p>“Good evening, all of Cards,” Yao announced, starting his spiel unflinchingly. “I’m sure that many folks have been awaiting this Broadcast eagerly, as it’s the special edition that’ll allow us to get to know more of the candidates in close depth after the interviews that aired last week. The Deciding currently going on in Spades has no doubt attracted all your attention when we saw them three weeks ago as they left their homes for a lavish life – and the chance to win Prince Alfred's heart. Tonight, we will get more insight into the process and what they have been up to since we left them with a live interview.”</p><p>“Joining us tonight is, of course, Prince Alfred, along with all of the remaining Chosen with us tonight.” Yao said to a polite smattering of applause. “Your Highness, would you like to say a few words to start us off with?”</p><p>“Just a few, don’t worry,” Alfred said, garnering laughs from the audience and the Chosen, Arthur included. Only someone like him could shine so brightly underneath the spotlight. “I’m really thrilled for everyone to get an opportunity to get to know all of these wonderful men and women better tonight, as one of them will be the future Queen of Spades, so I hope everyone listens closely.”</p><p>“Well said, my prince. No doubt you all are interested in who will become the next Queen of Spades, so we will be talking to each Chosen one by one, and see how they have been doing with our crown prince. And with that, I’d like to invite our first member of the Chosen, Leila, to the stage.”</p><p>She seemed rather laid back on stage, her brown hair falling into a bob around her chin. She opened effortlessly, talking about the horse riding lessons she'd received, and elaborated on the things she liked in the palace, all the while glancing at the prince Alfred. Avie was skittish as well, her voice growing quieter as the interview progressed, her fingers constantly fiddling with the hem of her pink dress. Alfonso, ever the easygoing figure, effortlessly cracked a few jokes during his interview, to the point where Emma and Mark could barely hold in their laughter. Sakura was silently mortified, elbowing them as forcefully as she would go to try to keep them quiet, and Arthur did his best to pretend that they didn’t exist.</p><p>Leon was animated as he talked, his voice raising a few notches, full of enthusiasm as he described the palace and the things he liked to do. Sakura managed to hold her own, even though she got rather flustered halfway when she was asked about her feelings about the prince, and Emma was so bubbly she nearly fell out of her chair as she kicked her legs back and forth, and Thomas did not feel shy at all talking about his impression about the prince, cheerfully discussing their first date together. Other than that, conversation pieces passed in blurs as Arthur slowly watched the microphone and spotlight move closer and closer to him.</p><p>Practically everyone said he was a perfect person, something Arthur wouldn’t disagree with in a thousand years. Mark went as far as to compliment his dress sense, Emma said he was hopelessly attractive, blushing slightly as Alfred gave her a flattered smile. Marianne said that she admired his power over the country, which Emma and Leon exchanged an expression that Arthur couldn’t catch, and a few of them were even asked whether they had been kissed. Sakura covered her face for a second before answering with a bright red face that she hadn't but she would have liked to, and after a handful of them, Yao turned to Alfred with an amused glance.</p><p>"Prince Alfred, really?!" Yao said, his expression teasing. “I wasn’t expecting that from someone as bold as you.” Laughter from the audience.</p><p>"I mean, they’ve only been here like three weeks! I'm not sure whether even <em>I’m </em>prepared to accept a kiss, what kinda guy do you think I am?" he replied, a cheeky smile on his face, but his hands nervously fiddled with his watch as he said it. In Arthur's opinion, it looked like he'd never even <em>been </em>kissed.</p><p>Almost too quickly before he could tease him in his head, the microphone was handed to Arthur.</p>
<hr/><p>"Sir Arthur Kirkland, is it?” Yao said. “You've come from the Hearts holding facility, yes? Is there a story behind it?”</p><p>He wasn’t sure how to react correctly, so he decided to repeat the story he’d told on the edited interviews. “Yes, that’s correct. I’ve been there since I’ve been small. As you know, some families choose to give their children to the holding facilities to try to increase the odds of getting into a Deciding. However, it wasn't the case for me, my family – at least, I mean my siblings. Our parents…aren't here anymore, so naturally they were responsible for my upbringing, and wanted me to have a happier standard of living.” Taking a deep breath, he continued. “Being in the holding facilities by the time His Highness’s Deciding occurred was a stroke of luck."</p><p>"Oh, I see. Do you mind to tell us more about them?" the question came tactfully, and Arthur felt himself start to relax.</p><p>"We had a big household. As our family wasn’t particularly affluent, it was the norm, so I have five brothers and sisters. You can probably guess, but there’s not a quiet moment without a fight, but I wouldn’t trade them for anything.</p><p>Realizing it was possibly the nicest thing he’d ever said about his family – and on live television as well, Arthur quickly moved on. “There's Allistor, Dylan, Christian, Erin and Cormac. Allistor's the oldest, and Erin and Cormac are twins,” Arthur said, feeling much more confident in a question where he wasn’t confused by the answers. “Unfortunately, I'm the second youngest of the family. I’m seventeen – have my birthday in two weeks - so I was the only one eligible for a slot when the time came. Thanks to them registering me for the opportunity, I had a rather comfortable life, not worrying about common necessities. And I'm happy they got that as well," he smiled to himself, remembering the nagging that had gone with their family life.</p><p>He’d also managed to put in the obligatory comment about the holding facilities, so he relaxed even more. It was practically the same as the aired interview, so it might not even be that bad!</p><p>"Six children? That's amazing how you could manage to fit, what a remarkable family,” Jack Yao said, his expression one of genuine surprise. “And what was it about a fight?"</p><p>"Well, I'm not exactly a pushover, and Erin always tells me I have an impressive temper,” Arthur replied, feeling somewhat sheepish. “I don't like getting help from others, I think that’s from my father, and I’ve been told I’m not exactly the friendliest person around." He’d decided to take a page from His Highness’s book and use that self-deprecation to attempt to charm, but he couldn’t gauge the audience’s reaction before the Jack continued speaking.</p><p>"I see, I see. Though I must ask, Sir Arthur, did you make an exception for our prince in the month you’ve been here?"</p><p>Out of the corner of his eye, the blond could catch a glimpse of the prince. He looked like he was about to burst a vein laughing.</p><p>"Erm...not exactly,” Arthur said. Excellent, there went all his bleeding confidence. “I must say, well, it was quite the opposite, really."</p><p>"Oh? Do tell!"</p><p>"I mean - our meeting was civil enough, but for some reason, he found my entrance hilarious to the point of bursting into laughter.” What little enjoyment Arthur got was drawn by the way Alfred’s smirk completely vanished from his face to be replaced by an expression of panic. “I chalked it up to, you know, jitters and things one gets when meeting someone new, however he gave a perplexing answer."</p><p>"And what would that be?” Yao asked, tipping his head to one side.</p><p>"He said that I was not what he expected,” Arthur said truthfully. “I suppose it was mostly nerves back then. Regardless, I was obviously not very pleased, but we had a more...civil conversation, it seems as if we got off to a better start. I will confess that initially, it surprised me that he did not kick me out straight after that."The advisors sitting near the royals below the stage looked tense, a few were clearly not happy but a handful of them seemed amused. Next to him, he could hear some members of the Chosen snickering, and he turned slightly red.</p><p>"So, now you're on apparent good terms," the Jack raised his eyebrow meaningfully and Arthur had to laugh, "We must know, what did you do on your date?"</p><p>"Well, there was this place in the garden where we sat and spoke. Nothing particularly fancy, just words and us.” Arthur carefully avoided adding any sort of downplaying words to his answer to avoid the same situation again. “I know it seems quite simple, but I really did enjoy the time spent with him. I-I mean, the simplicity of it all!" he blurted, trying to overlap what he said. <em>I didn’t want to say that out loud – what in the Fates was I thinking?</em></p><p>"So, what do you like the best about the palace so far? I mean, you've talked about the gardens, so is that your favourite place?"</p><p>"I would say so, yes.” Arthur said. “Whilst I was studying in the holding facilities, I read a lot on the unique and rare flowers within the gardens, so that place has always been a point of interest for me. Erm, the other place I’m planning to visit more often is the library, where there are a lot of books. I quite like to read, and, er, was planning to continue my studies there whilst I’m still in the Deciding,” he added on quickly, thinking back to Kiku’s letter.</p><p>Yao laughed, amusement glimmering in his gaze. "You’re certainly not short of ambition, Sir Arthur. In the same vein, do you have any ambitions of winning this, hm?"</p><p>"Well…I'm not sure about that.” <em>Oh no, I should have gone for the more inconspicuous answer, but...</em> “I guess that's a question Al – His Highness has to answer himself in the end." He managed to catch himself just in time, thankfully, as there wasn’t a collective rumble of surprise that would have swept through the crowd if he’d done so.</p><p>Unfortunately, it didn’t seem as if the answer was very satisfactory, because Jack Yao pushed further. “That may be true, Sir Arthur, but we’d like to hear <em>your </em>thoughts on the matter.”</p><p>Arthur swallowed, preparing to shoot back some teasing comment about his hero complex or his overly loud voice or even his multiple fumbles, trying to cover up the embarrassing slip, but as he caught Alfred’s eyes behind his glasses, he could see the yearning for an answer, his opinion. The same sort of yearning that he’d showed last night.</p><p>And to poke fun at him, to hold back his true feelings, the ones that had started to grow in his heart, even if they were never supposed to.</p><p>"Prince Alfred's just…there aren't really any words to describe him as I know him now,” Arthur began slowly, clasping his hands together and running his thumb over his knuckles repeatedly. “There’s obviously a certain view you develop of him in the holding facilities, but the real person who you get to know is quite different. Kind doesn't even begin to describe his personality. True, he's very adamant in declaring that he's a hero of some sort, and may be a little tongue tied at bizarre times, but he's very sweet to everyone. He doesn't seem to think badly of people and cares about their plight, and I daresay he’s more than capable for the role of King when he does ascend." Catching the Jack's pleased expression, he didn't dare to look at Alfred's face now, not when the embarrassing things he was saying were plastered onto the sets of televisions all over the continent.</p><p>"I haven’t mentioned this during our previous conversations, but I'm honoured to be serving as his subject, no matter what the result of the Deciding will be.” Arthur said. He felt as if his heart was going a million miles per hour, he was pretty sure his face was red, but he had to keep on speaking. “Whoever will be marrying him in the end - I'm sure that they're incredibly fortunate to win his affection and company."</p><p>"Thank you so much for your words, Arthur,” the Jack finished, leaning over to shake his damp palm before moving on to the next chair. To his credit, he did not immediately wipe it off his white gloves. “We'll be moving on, up next is Sir David – how have you enjoyed the process so far?"</p><p>Arthur managed to not catch Alfred's gaze for the rest of the Broadcast, feeling the embarrassment rise in his cheeks, barely acknowledging when Leon had nudged him in the shoulder approvingly, quietly replaying the conversation he'd had in his head.</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em>“</em>
  <em>Whoever will be marrying him in the end - I'm sure that they're incredibly fortunate to win his affection and company.”</em>
</p><p>Arthur’s smile had been genuine. If his words had been too, that meant that...</p><p>Alfred gnawed on a loose piece of skin on his thumb. <em>I kinda wanna see him now. </em></p><p>“Hm? Alfred, are you slacking off again?”</p><p>“Nah, Lud,” Alfred said quickly. He was literally in a middle of a call to Ludwig on the port, damn it, he should be focusing! “How’s the Deciding going on your end?”</p><p>Ludwig, the King of Hearts, looked tense. His usually carefully done hair had fallen down into his usual attractive fringe, and his bedroom was empty, somehow feeling hollower without his husband. “We’re progressing at a snail’s pace, compared to you. To be honest, with Feli’s blessing that he received two weeks ago, we haven’t been able to plan a proper schedule like you three have. Only five eliminated, and not much else to report other than that. However, everyone here is more than capable of managing their own time correctly. They’ve come to accept that it’s more a waiting game than something we can force out of our own volition.”</p><p>“I see, I see. Though, would you prefer it be a romantic thing?” Alfred said.</p><p>The grimace on his friend’s face was pronounced. “Alfred, I already underwent my own all those years ago, and it was strenuous enough. Rest assured, I do not need another one that will attempt to do the impossible in replacing my other half.”</p><p>“Come on, Lud, it was just a joke! It’s only been a few years, anyway...”</p><p>“Long enough,” Ludwig groused. “There isn’t much that would entertain you in terms of exclusive news, though. I am far more interested in your process. Though I have yet to watch the Spadian Broadcast this evening, Feli says that it was incredibly interesting. What did you think?”</p><p>“I can’t help but feel they all spoke super high of me,” Alfred mumbled, scratching the side of his face in self consciousness. “Like, way too high. I was kinda worried that they were going to be really mean, but I overestimated their meanness.”</p><p>“Alfred, you <em>do </em>realise that the Chosen are there for <em>you</em>?” Ah man, that same exasperated tone that he’d only grown fonder of as time passed. “To say that it would be a disaster for them if they spoke ill of you at length would be an understatement.”</p><p>“Uh, Lud, I kinda don’t get what you mean-”</p><p>“No one would dare criticize you to a continent hell-bent on watching the most important Deciding we’ve had since your father,” Ludwig said quietly, shifting on his sofa. “You’re aware of this, but I understand that you’re afraid of stating the obvious in order to not appear overly egotistical.”</p><p>After all these years, with everything in between, Ludwig could still read him to the point where it was scary. “I guess you could say that,” Alfred said, shrugging and doing his best to seem as if he didn’t really care. “At least, the Deciding is the first way to signify my change from prince to king, right?”</p><p>“Not only that, but it’s a way of demonstrating your effectiveness when it comes to tackling your duties, yes.” At least he sounded somewhat impressed by his answer. “No one denies that the Deciding is extremely...loaded, at least for you. I’ve spoken to Francis and Vash about it at least once, and several times at dinner have we spoken about it here.”</p><p>“Great, no pressure on me. I’m gonna guess the same thing’s been going on around the entirety of Cards, too...” Man, he really needed a shot of that goddamn coffee. Unable to ignore the sudden dryness in his mouth, he took a big swig whilst Ludwig watched severely from the screen. If it had been any other guy, Alfred might have glared at him, but it was just his resting face, so to speak. “...Who am I kidding, it’s happening everywhere! And why does it have to be mine that’s so exciting!”</p><p>Ludwig sighed. “Finally, some common sense, Alfred.” At his friend’s sputter though, he snorted. “All right, I’ll let up on you. But you do know, you <em>could </em>technically marry someone with noble birth had you not needed a Queen. Say, Vash, or Lovino, or even a certain Clubs King-”</p><p>“You’re not finishing that sentence, Lud!” Alfred cried, growing even louder when he saw the grimace smile hybrid on his face. “Since when did you have the right to have fun?”</p><p>His friend’s cheeks pinked, before he gave a tiny shrug. “I got married to someone who taught me to, I suppose. No, Alfred, you’re not allowed to show me that expression either! Go find your own.”</p><p>“Trying, trying!” There was a commotion in the background of Ludwig’s screen, and to his pleasant surprise the Jack of Hearts and Ludwig’s husband, Feliciano, popped in. His head was covered with a towel, but not much else was. It took him a matter of moments to rush over to the port and Ludwig with an excited cry. “Feli-”</p><p>“Alfred, Alfred!” Feliciano cried, his eyes sparkling. “Hi! How are you doing today? Ludwig, you didn’t tell me he was going to call or I wasn’t gonna take a nice long bath, even though it was a super nice one with a lot of nice smelling oils and I really enjoyed it! It’s not fair if you’re hogging his attention since he’s the most wanted guy in Cards right now!”</p><p>As usual, he spoke with an infectious excitement and hand gestures so enthusiastic Alfred was slightly surprised his slender wrists didn’t snap off. “Heh, Feli, it’s okay, we were only talking for a little bit.”</p><p>“Oh! Alfred!” Feli beamed, taking a moment away from chastising his husband. “How are you? Any pretty people yet? Have you picked anyone? I’m sure there were! From the Broadcast I could already see a lot.”</p><p>“They’re <em>all </em>pretty, sorta,” Alfred admitted, unable to fight back a grin. “It’s only been a month though, so not anytime soon. Yours took almost a year.”</p><p>Feliciano hummed thoughtfully. “Mhm, that’s true, but not only did the Hearts Fate choose me to be the Jack, but,” he wrapped his arm around Ludwig’s, “I’m able to be his husband every day of my life! So of course it was worth the wait.”</p><p>“<em>Liebling</em>, not in front of Alfred...” Ludwig stammered, briefly losing his composure, though he didn’t pull away. Clearing his throat, he continued. “Feli is correct, though. Don’t rush it. If need be, you may always ask us for assistance for anything.”</p><p>Alfred barely held back a smug grin. “So, Lud, I kinda forgot, but when did the two of you have your first kiss – hey, wait a second, there’s steam coming outta your forehead-”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Act 16</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“It’s your birthday in two weeks?”</p><p>Arthur looked up mid composition of his letter to where Leon was sitting, feet neatly tucked, in his plush sofa. The day after the Broadcast, they’d briefly planned having breakfast together in Arthur’s room for a change. “Yes, it is. Though I’m surprised it’s still relevant two days afterwards.”</p><p>Leon peeked from above his newspaper, thick eyelashes betraying his amusement. “It would be totally weird if I brought up in midst of the whole discussion of everyone’s ranking after the Broadcast, right?”</p><p>“Right, that,” Arthur said, unable to help a grimace. Yesterday after dinner, almost all of them had been discussing their performances during the interviews whilst someone watched a re-airing on the large television in the Drawing Room. Apparently, they hadn’t been heavily edited unlike the previous interviews with the Jack and prince, so Arthur had to suffer through rewatching his embarrassment in front of the entire nation in terrible detail.</p><p>“At least they went easier on you this time.”</p><p>“That was considered to be easy?” Arthur said indignantly. He paused, mind and pen hovering over the letter before he spoke again. “Well, it was better than being sent home, I suppose.”</p><p>According to Emma and Sakura, two of the girls had been sent home right afterwards for obviously undisclosed reasons, but it was plainly obvious that they were disengaged from the process during the edited interviews. It had been jarring to see them on the television screen just moments after the others had told about their tears.</p><p>So it was with a hint of guilt that Arthur was relieved that his interview had appeared average – nothing exciting that was revealed that would be seized upon by those within the palace, yet nothing that was overly boring that would disengage those in the public. At the same time, though, from one of the newspapers that Anna delivered every morning at his request - like he’d had whilst he was in the holding facilities - there was a popularity poll that had been issued on the evening of the Broadcast.</p><p>“It feels as if everyone’s been, like, eliminated so fast. It must be tough on the prince, I guess,” Leon said, taking a sip of his herbal tea. “But it’s expected of the next King of Spades.”</p><p>“Only someone like him could be so perfect, I suppose.” It had been meant as a throwaway comment, but Arthur realised after Leon nodded in agreement that he meant it, to his surprise. “You see it that way as well?”</p><p>“Guy’s the prince,” Leon said with a small shrug of his shoulders, the image of coolness. “Kinda in, like, the resume and all.”</p><p>“If you put it that way,” Arthur said. Before he could continue saying anything, there was a knock on the door and Leon’s maid came in, holding a light blue envelope and an excited expression.</p><p>“Oh, one sec,” Leon said, smoothly uncrossing his legs, jumping to his feet and taking the letter from his maid with a dip of his head. Arthur couldn’t resist peering over his shoulder at the writing...oh, it was a lot less neat than he’d hoped for, but wasn’t exactly surprising.</p><p>“<em>To Sir Leon,</em></p><p>
  <em>I hope this note finds you well. May I have the pleasure of requesting your company at the gallery in the west wing at three this afternoon? I understand if you’re busy, but please, send a note if you’re unable to make it. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Best regards,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Alfred :)” </em>
</p><p>“What’s with the smiley face?” Arthur muttered, but quickly congratulated him. “It sounds like a wonderful excursion with the prince, lucky you. I’ll leave you be, since you have to go prepare.”</p><p>An undecipherable emotion flitted through Leon’s face, so swift he practically thought he was seeing things. “Sorry, Arthur. It was fun having breakfast with someone else, though. It would be rude to refuse an invitation, right?”</p><p>“Right. The Meeting’s only in a few weeks, we’ll return back to normal soon for breakfast,” he said. “Do you want to give it a try again tomorrow?”</p><p>“Totally,” Leon said, giving him a small wave before he quietly closed the door behind him and his maid. “See you, Arthur.”</p><p>And with that, Arthur got back to his letter with a lump in his throat. It was probably nothing, but he couldn’t seem to get rid of it until lunch was over and he’d mailed off the letter to his family. No news from Kiku, though it was to be expected since he was going through a process of his own.</p><p>Something else was more pressing, though. He wasn’t sure if it was just himself, but Leon had only said that it would be rude to refuse an invitation, and didn’t sound particularly excited. Not that Arthur was one to lecture someone on perceived romantic indifference, of course, but it was odd after what Arthur thought he knew about Leon’s feelings. Fair enough, he wasn’t as obviously head over heels for him like Emma was, but he had believed a strong relationship was in the forging.</p><p>“Not really any of my business, anyway,” he said quietly to himself, going back to his letter once again. Even so, he couldn’t help but let his friend’s confusing behaviour nag him.</p>
<hr/><p>Alfred wasn’t sure what he’d done wrong this time, but the date was not going exactly to plan.</p><p>The guy he was on the date with – Leon – had been someone that he hadn’t had trouble spending time with previously. Being someone that had been influenced so heavily by the musical and artistic scene from Diamonds, he couldn’t help but see similarities between him and his mother, which had made it an easy speaking point. He’d brought him to the hall for what he thought would be a nice walk through some of the paintings in the palace, but for some reason Leon seemed distracted.</p><p>He had tried asking the Chosen gently about what had been wrong, but had been met with a casual deflection. The dark haired boy had an uncanny flair for staying completely composed, and he didn’t give away anything about what bothered him during the date. What he’d expected to be a type of date where he’d learn more about the other person happened to be a type of date where he did most of the talking about stuff he wasn’t really an expert on.</p><p>Which obviously, didn’t make for such a quality date, even if Sir Leon genuinely attempted to continue a conversation.</p><p>The Fates seemed to grant him a brief respite, though. After around two hours, when twilight seeped through the floor to ceiling windows of the hall, Alfred offered to walk him back to his room. Changing tack from the beautiful artwork, he started to ask him about his time in the palace.</p><p>“I saw you standing up for Sir Arthur, you know,” he said quietly. “It really made an impression on me. That was noble of you.”</p><p>Leon’s expression didn’t really shift too much, though he saw a hint of a smile tug at the corners of his mouth. “Thanks. It might not seem like a lot, but there’s not much I could do with, like, all the scrutiny. I’d prefer to not be a total target.”</p><p>
  <em>“Do you really need another reminder about how weak you are against us? Watch your tongue.”</em>
</p><p>“Yeah, I get what you mean,” Alfred said. Maybe he said it a little too quickly to save him from himself, but the other guy wouldn’t pick it up. Hopefully. The scrutiny comment bit too close to home. At his intrigued expression, the best he’d seen all day, he easily made something up. “You know. I’m not a king yet, and we have a bare bones Primary Suit right now, so we rely on the advisorship for a lot of stuff.”</p><p>“Your advisorship is elected internally, as far as I remember.” he said. Right, he wasn’t from Spades and didn't really know how broken their electoral system was. Originally being devised to be a revolving door, it had spiralled into a self electing loophole that the Primary Suit, as empty as it is, powerless to stop. “It’s an interesting take, but you must have people who totally know you well around you at all times. Do you, like, always get along?”</p><p>Trying not to wince, Alfred shook his head. “Let’s just say it’s hard to get along with everyone all the time. Ya know? They hold a lot of power in the kingdom though, so that commands a lot of respect. Their support is incredibly important for keeping it together under Jack Yao.”</p><p>Leon nodded once, then the conversation died down briefly as they approached his room. To his pleasant surprise, Emil was there, hat pulled clumsily over his forehead whilst he stood guard. He could see the jolt in his shoulders as he called to him lightly.</p><p>“A-Ah, Alfred,” he mumbled, bowing once and adjusting his hat. “How are you today?”</p><p><em>Yehay! Looks like he got the memo from Matthias</em>, Alfred thought excitedly to himself. Another person still using his name the way he liked! “I’m doing well, buddy, how are you?”</p><p>“I’m doing well, I’m just-” Emil peered behind him. “Oh, Sir Leon, I didn’t see you there...apologies.”</p><p>“Hey, you’re making more friends in the palace, Emil,” Alfred beamed. It kinda sucked that Leon was a Chosen and might not stay here permanently, but Matthias and Lukas would be pleased that he was fitting in better. “Awesome -you guys are friendly, right?”</p><p>“I, er, do some of the night patrols here,” he explained. “Sir Leon sleeps quite late, so sometimes he says a hello to me. It is quite kind.”</p><p>For his part, Leon perked up. “He does good work,” he said casually, “So of course, I’d, like, say hi to him. I hope you don’t mind though, Your Highness.”</p><p>“Last time I checked, there’s no rules against being friends with guards, or I’d be in trouble too.” he said. “I’m friends with his, uh...” <em>Whaddya call a guy that’s kind of his father but didn’t give birth to him or anything? </em>“Kinda father but not really father. Uhh, anyway, it’s great that you guys have made friends.”</p><p>He waited for a quirk of an eye, something that would have given away a possibility he didn’t wanna think about, but there was nothing except nods from the both of them. Seeing that the three of them were in a good mood, he decided to end the date there for now. Leon, at least, didn’t feel awkward or ask to go home, so Alfred cut his losses there.</p><p>Turning around, he was about to go back to his room and plan out the next couple of dates when Leon tapped him on the shoulder and asked him something.</p><p>“Prince Alfred, have you been to Arthur – Sir Arthur’s yet?” he asked. When Alfred shook his head for no, he continued speaking. “I hope this isn’t, like rude or anything, but he mentioned briefly that he’d like to speak to you. If that’s totally all right.”</p><p>The blond wasn’t sure how he did it, but he managed to suppress a smile and nod once in answer. “I haven’t, but thanks for passing it on. I’ll see him in a moment. I hope it was a nice date, Sir Leon. I’ll see you at dinner?”</p><p>“Of course, Your Highness. I had a wonderful time, thank you.” Leon said. They exchanged a bow, and Alfred gave him one last wave before he disappeared into his room.</p><p><em>Right! Time for the next thing</em>, he thought brightly. The excitement, though, was soon replaced with dread. Oh crap! What if Arthur wanted to speak with him because he was thinking of leaving, or that he hated him, or that he changed his mind, or...</p><p>“His door’s right there,” Alfred muttered to himself, balling up his gloved hand in a fist to knock. “Just do the heroic thing and ask him, okay?”</p>
<hr/><p>The moment Arthur had heard voices outside his door; he wasn’t able to focus on attempting to unpack more of his belongings. Since the three weeks that had passed since arriving to the Spades palace, he’d slightly forgot about unpacking the last bits and bobs, but he’d been managing fairly well. What was left of his failed knitting endeavours over the years, two framed photos, and two paper cranes that Kiku had made for his birthday last year were the last things he’d had to unpack.</p><p>He was arranging the loosened blue yarn and knitting needles on his desk, a present that his siblings had given him for his birthday when he heard noises outside his room. Placing down the items, it didn’t take him long to figure out that it was Leon and Alfred coming back from their date. A little too eagerly, he kept an ear out for signs that it was a good one.</p><p>To his dismay...or was it something else that he didn’t want to admit? No, he didn’t want to admit that he felt nothing but disappointment that neither of them sounded as enthusiastic as he had hoped, yet the gentle sting of relief said otherwise.</p><p>Unable to resist, Arthur gingerly positioned himself behind his door, listening in as they said their goodbyes, surprisingly brief ones at that. He only had to think of Alfred’s eyes latching onto his own until Arthur’s nervous hand had closed the door to be worried. He was sure Leon had wanted to feel that complicated yearning as well, but...</p><p>Said emotion made it known tenfold as soon as he heard someone knock on his door. Arthur lambasted himself from jerking the door open as fast as he did to see Alfred for the second time that day. The prince had looked perfectly kept at lunch, but he seemed a little frazzled at five in the afternoon. His blue tie was loosened; he’d just removed his gloves; his shirt had been unbuttoned slightly exposing a golden chain and a string of tiny silver beads along with his collarbo-</p><p>“Your Highness,” Arthur said, trying his best to wring himself out of his bizarre thoughts. “I didn’t expect you to be here...oh, I’ll drop it as soon as we’re in private, quit that childish pouting – wait, I didn’t invite you inside the room <em>just </em>yet, no need to be so impatient-”</p><p>Once again, though, Alfred didn’t fail to surprise as he took Arthur’s hands in his own before he could finish a single sentence. “A-Alfred, what are you-”</p><p>“Sir Leon said you wanted to talk to me,” he murmured, with a gaze so intense and a voice so serious that Arthur could not help but be rendered flustered by it. “Please tell me, is it something serious? Has something happened?”</p><p>“I...pardon? Leon said I wanted to...” Arthur stammered. He wasn’t quite sure how to deal with this, er, serious side of the prince, not to mention their closeness, and the firmness of his chest against his own palms. “Oh, he must have been mistaken. I didn’t mention anything of the sort.”</p><p>The prince visibly drooped, letting go of Arthur’s hands that were clasped so close to him, yet not breaking their point of contact. “Oh, I getcha,” he said, his fingers sliding down to Arthur’s bony wrists. “I hope I didn’t bother you or anything, I-”</p><p>“Wait,” Arthur blurted before he could stop himself. By the Fates, the expression in the prince’s eyes was just a little pathetic, but...somewhat endearing. “Your High – er, Alfred – if you’re not too busy, we could speak. J-Just for a few moments, mind you, I’m sure you’re a busy man. For your own sake. Not like I’d particularly seek you out to speak. Or – or anything.”</p><p><em>What foolish things am I saying? I didn’t think it was necessary to seek him out, but seeing him so dejected, I couldn’t help but say those embarrassing things. </em>The grin that had practically lit up the prince’s intense face, to Arthur’s chagrin in admitting it was, worth it. “Once more, I understand if you’re busy-”</p><p>“No, no, no! At least, not for spending time with you, ever,” Alfred beamed. He squeezed Arthur’s hands once more, with a force that made him audibly yelp. “What’s wrong? Oh...I’m sorry about that.”</p><p>“I was aware you had an uncanny strength, but I’d prefer you not exercise it on me.”</p><p>“Sorry, sorry! It’s just that, when I’m nervous, y’know, it does get kinda hard to manage more than usual,” Alfred said sheepishly. “Though, how do ya know I have it? I mean; it’s a kinda boring topic.”</p><p>“Your – Alfred...” <em>Is he aware of how parts of his kingdom function? </em>“You do realise that at the holding facilities, we essentially are taught multitudes about the respective Primary Suits. Your remarkable strength is one of them, obviously. That, and many a people have gushed over it in the hallways of our classrooms.”</p><p>“Gushed over – oh, you mean, they said a lot of nice things about me,” Alfred said, blushing. Thankfully, the grip on his hands had lessened by this point and he felt significantly less crushed. “Right?”</p><p>“Alfred, you know that everyone’s here for your affection, yes?” Arthur was about to lecture him again, but was taken aback by the soft smile and shake of the other boy’s head. “At least, I think so after the last Broadcast.”</p><p>“I mean, that would be awesome if it was true, but for some people you kinda get the feeling that they’re not really romantically interested in me. At least I can tell now, versus later.” Alfred said. He shrugged once, but it was clear that he wasn’t feeling particularly cheerful about this specific aspect of the Deciding. “It’s easier for the other kingdoms if they’re not holding one based on romance, but for me I can only hope that at the very end, the person I love isn’t faking it.”</p><p>There was a wistfulness in his eyes that was palpable from a small distance. Unsure of how to respond correctly, Arthur’s lips parted to speak but Alfred had already moved on, pointing outlandishly at his knitting set on the table. “Anyway! You knit, Artie?”</p><p>“It’s<em> Arthur</em>,” Arthur huffed, and nodded. He had a slight suspicion as to why he changed tack so quickly, but decided to not pursue it. “Yes, well. I’m not very good, I’m afraid. I received it as a present from my family one year for my birthday – and coincidentally, it’s my birthday in two weeks. So I thought about giving it another stab.”</p><p>“Yeah, I remember! You talked about it on the Broadcast and stuff.” Alfred said.</p><p>“...!” Arthur couldn’t hide his surprise that he <em>did </em>remember. “Yes, well, back then, at least, I thought that I would be able to at least create a few things, but I became too caught up in my studies to really be good at it.”</p><p>“Aw, that’s a shame, <em>Artie</em>,” Alfred said, ignoring the other boy’s grumbling. “But, uh, what did you want to create? At least, back then.”</p><p>Once again, he spoke without really engineering his answer. “A, erm...stuffed bear. I haven’t had much luck with cute things, and haven’t really wanted or been able to buy them.”</p><p>“But I thought you guys got an allowance or something for being at the holding facilities?”</p><p>“That <em>is </em>true, yes,” Arthur said, “But I’d much rather send that money home to my siblings for the family’s necessities. Every time I visit, it’s painfully obvious to me that I’ve been the luckiest out of all of them to come here. So even if I can’t have something like a teddy bear to myself, it’s minor compared to the hardships my siblings face for me.”</p><p>There was a pregnant pause, and Arthur wondered if he’d dragged down the mood once again. “Er, I apologise, it must sound quite foolish for a crown prince to hear,” he began, but Alfred shook his head and looked at him. Green eyes met blue, and Arthur’s breathing slowed whilst his heartbeat soared to compensate. <em>What – why did he just stop the conversation just to look at me in the eyes, I don’t know how to respond appropriately to this!</em></p><p>“No, not at all, it’s just...” Alfred said, rubbing at the side of his tanned face bashfully, “It’s admirable, really. How much you’re willing to sacrifice for your family, even if you think it’s just a little thing. In more ways than one, I’m glad that you picked to come here if it meant that I could help you and your family. Though, was it cause you liked the colour blue and stuff, heh?”</p><p>“The colour? Hmph – no, of course not, as if I’d choose for such a foolish reason. Though,” Arthur said, “It <em>is </em>my favourite colour. But no, you cannot tease me about that.”</p><p>Alfred nodded, albeit in an exaggerated manner and a smug expression plastered on his stupid perfect face. “Then, Arthur...why <em>did </em>you come here, anyway? Well, I kinda know that now, but I just wanted to confirm – is it for something else now, or have your motivations changed?”</p><p>That, Arthur could not answer without feeling the familiar heat creep up his cheeks. With Alfred looking so closely at him, saying such tender words without hesitation...it wasn’t like Arthur minded, truly, but he hated how nervous it made him become. Obviously, he’d never really been in love or been romantically interested in someone before this, so to command the attention of the literal crown prince of Spades was something he could not possibly fathom in words. “Er, I...I couldn’t tell you.” he said weakly.</p><p>“Hm hm. But yeah! It’s awesome if I can do things for you, if you’d let me,” Alfred grinned gleefully. “Hey, what about throwing you a big party? I could do that, if you’d like. We’d have to invite every member of the Chosen, of course, and we couldn’t bring your family in because of security concerns, but-”</p><p><em>Bollocks, not a big social event!</em> “<em>Please </em>no big party,” Arthur said, shaking his head so vigorously the buttons on his shirt wobbled, his embarrassment temporarily covered by panic. “I deeply dislike being the center of attention.”</p><p>“Come on, let me – it’s your birthday!” Alfred pouted.</p><p>“What’s with you being so insistent? Let me make it clear, I would absolutely loathe a party like that.” Arthur said firmly, his thick eyebrows furrowing. “I’d be more compelled to shut myself in my room on that day.”</p><p>For the second time that day, the other boy visibly drooped, looking like a kicked puppy with a downtrodden tail. “Arthur, please,” he said softly, touching Arthur’s forearm and fixating him with very blue, winsome eyes. “Okay, I get if you don’t want a big party or anything, but at least let me do <em>something </em>for you. I really wanna.”</p><p>“Idiot, you...” Arthur tried to turn away, but that vulnerable bare hand was too much for him to ignore. “...all right. Something – something <em>very </em>small, all right? In fact, er, there’s no need to invite anyone else. I would prefer my friends not work themselves into a tizzy thinking about it.”</p><p>“It’s a done deal then! I won’t accept any objections,” Alfred exclaimed. “Though I don’t really know what a tiz-zee is.” Before Arthur could reply sarcastically, he dug into his shirt, dislodging his tie before he pulled out the large clock and glanced at it in a overexaggerated manner. “Gosh, look at the time. I should be going, Arthur! Anyway, I’ll help make your birthday this year the best yet!”</p><p>Arthur’s mouth dropped aghast, the prince really was a terrible actor. “Alfred-”</p><p>“See ya at dinner, okay?” As quick as a flash, the crown prince scooped up Arthur’s right hand, placed a swift kiss on his hand and dashed off in the space of what was possibly seconds, yet felt like an eternity to him.</p><p>Arthur could do nothing but stand there helplessly, feeling the soft embrace of Alfred’s lips slowly slip away from his trembling knuckles, holding his hand to his chest.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>please leave comments/feedback/interaction, would mean a lot!</p><p>in the first draft i completely forgot about his birthday, so here it is ;_;</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Act 17</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>oops, didn't expect this chapter to become so long</p><p>happy valentines! an update from me huhu</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Prince Alfred Fitzgerald Jones of the Spadian Crown did not have crushes.</p><p>Okay, maybe he’d had one – one! – serious one before the whole Deciding thing. Back them, though, he knew that his crush would never be realised, and he’d never confess to him, because he knew that even if he felt the same he’d never act on his attraction. Luckily, though, he’d managed to grow out of it after a few years, and only Matthew knew. He kinda realised that this brother had too much dirt on him, but there wasn’t much he could do about it now.</p><p>As a result, he wasn’t quite sure how to identify a real crush if it happened, or so he thought. There wasn’t much time to think about it, either! The rest of the Deciding needed to keep on going on even though he was confused!</p><p>Twelve dates over four days, three per day. Not a hard task, right? He’d been allowed by both Matthew and Yao to drop a few things that he was supposed to have done for the upcoming Meeting in order to squeeze these in. It had looked pretty perfect on paper, too!</p><p>There was one date, though, that required a bit more begging from Yao. It would be kinda boring, Alfred had reasoned, for everyone’s dates to take place within just the palace itself. Even though it was huge and everything, it was still super boring!</p><p>“Alfred, you’re aware it would take a massive amount of security to protect just yourself with the possibility of the Joker rebels being around the Meeting, not to mention the Chosen you’re taking out on this date,” Yao said, tilting his glasses to accentuate the point. “I’m not entirely convinced the advisorship would allow it.”</p><p>“They don’t have to know,” Alfred pouted. “I mean, is it so bad that I wanna do this with as many Chosen as I can? Dependin’ on how long they’re gonna stay here, I really wanna make it happen!”</p><p>“Yes, Alfred.”</p><p>“Yao!”</p><p>He let out a long sigh. “You do know our monarchy is hanging on by a tether right now,” he said. “Fates forbid something happen to you. Not to mention, either Lady Sakura or Avie could be the future queen at the end of the Deciding. Even though it may be – oh, alright, it is too early to say, Alfred, the possibility still stands.”</p><p>The corner of Alfred’s lips turned into a frown. “Maybe it was a little too ambitious,” he mumbled, scuffing Yao’s blue carpet with the edge of his left shoe. “Oh well, I guess it was worth a try or something. Thanks, Yao.”</p><p>“That being said, are you giving up that easily?” Alfred’s gaze flew up from his shoe to his mentor’s mischievous eyes. “As you’ve said so many times, my boy, having the advisorship possibly oppose something does not mean the necessary end of it. <em>Possibly</em>, and I’m saying <em>possibly, </em>if you could get a number of guards with you, I am certain that the prospect spread around the news would serve as excellent publicity.”</p><p>He could barely stop the excitement bubbling up in his throat at what he thought his mentor was saying. “So...you mean-”</p><p>Yao nodded. “If you can find the manpower to spare, yes, you may embark on the date.”</p><p>“Yes! Thank you, Yao,” Alfred cried, getting up from his seat opposite Yao’s desk and throwing his arms around his neck. “Ah man, I knew you’d come around!”</p><p>“Don’t forget many are busy with their rotations due to Meeting preparations,” he said, patting his liege’s head. Had Alfred washed behind his ears lately? Before he could ask, Alfred was off again in a flash, leaving him to chuckle and get back to his work. The Meeting couldn’t come soon enough, for more than one reason.</p>
<hr/><p>“The bar is doing very well as of late. Perhaps in the spring, more people have money to spare? Regardless of the reason, it’s good to see more income now that Tino has a child to raise. I’ve had less time to help out with the furniture business, but it’s never a quiet moment around with him and Hana, so getting around night shifts are much easier. Berwald doesn’t need to worry, though, I send him home before it’s dark.</p><p>Enough speak about the Fjord, though. Thank you for keeping me updated about Emil, I’m glad that he’s settling in better. I’m sure that the two of you are very busy with the Meeting, so I greatly appreciated your letter, though I would appreciate it next time if you wrote with less ink staining the side of your hand. Could barely read the last passage.</p><p>As promised, I passed on your greetings to the trolls. They’re not exactly in their prime during the spring, but they wish you well.</p><p>Hopefully we’ll be able to reunite, the five of us, this upcoming Easter break. I understand that Berwald has been writing almost every other day, but I am sure that I cannot replace the presence of his husband. As for you...you know what I will say.</p><p>Take care,</p><p>Lukas.”</p><p>“Gloomy as ever!” General Matthias Kohler, distinguished member of the palace guard and former military conscript, was currently poring over a long letter from home. It was a pleasant Wednesday evening with a soupy breeze and clear weather, so he had cracked open the window to-</p><p>“Matthias!” <em>Bam. </em>One powerful knock on the room of the door he, Berwald and Emil shared alerted him to the fact that it was his former military buddy and current best friend Alfred. “Hey, man, you got a moment to spare? I gotta ask you something!”</p><p>“Come on in, it’s just me!” Matthias exclaimed, hurriedly placing the letter in his wooden drawer. Maybe it wasn’t so embarrassing, but some things should stay private, is all! “What’s up? What can Matthias do for ya?”</p><p>Alfred sprinted in the room and shut it so fast that if he wasn’t used to it, he’d get whiplash. “You’re doing okay, right?”</p><p>“Lukas is still writing to me and the bar is good, so yeah,” he laughed, the sound of it reverberating around the relatively spacious room. “You? With all those pretty people wrapped around your finger, you look kinda stressed, buddy.”</p><p>“Uh, you know. Being the prince and all,” Alfred shrugged, and they shared a chuckle. “Pshh, jokes aside, I gotta ask you a favour.”</p><p>“Gotcha.”</p><p>“Are you free, maybe? Friday?” he said. At a tilt of Matthias’s untameable hair to say yes, he beamed. “Awesome! I need you to go on a date with me.”</p><p>Matthias blinked for a very long moment. “A...date? I’m...? You know about Lukas and everything! Also, aren’t you literally – hey, what’s with that expression on your face, Jones? Wha – what’s so funny about-”</p><p>Completely nonplussed about him using his surname – he’d been too used to it after their military days, Alfred was currently rocking around his seat and laughing, so much so Matthias was relieved that Berwald and Emil were currently out on patrol and many of the other guards were eating an early dinner. “Your <em>face</em>, man! Haha, I need to do that again someday. I didn’t know it would even go that well! Screwing with you never gets old!”</p><p>“Jeez, you got me good,” Matthias laughed, raised his arm to slap him on the back good naturedly then stopped. He thought of the weird reaction Alfred had a few months ago when they were roughhousing like usual. The big guy could take a bunch of things, so he thought it would be okay if he’d slapped him on the back like they used to do after a particularly hard drill.</p><p>But instead of a yelp and a burst of laughter, a small cry of pain had escaped his friend’s mouth and he’d shrunk back without realising he did. Of course, he’d tried to deny it and play it off for laughs like he usually would, but Matthias had to remember to never do it again.</p><p>Quickly, he ruffled his hair instead, way too easy given their similar heights. “Ya better not overdo it, though, or I might not give you that favour after all.”</p><p>“Fine, fine. I was thinking of going outside, at least just within the Inner Circle, or around the market or something.” Alfred said. “That is, Yao told me that there might be a security thing with everyone prepping for the Meeting and all.”</p><p>Matthias sucked at his teeth, tufty eyebrows furrowing in thought. “His Highness is right,” he said, “It is gonna be harder than usual. Though, why not ask the advisorship?”</p><p>“Too much effort for them, I guess.”</p><p>“Ah, okay. How many do you think you’ll need? I know you can handle yourself, probably, but, uh, how many people are going to be there except you?” Matthias asked.</p><p>“Uh, there’s me, then there’s two people I’m taking out, then I guess I need to take like two cameramen,” Alfred childishly counted them off his fingers as he spoke, “So, uh, that would be, uh...”</p><p>“Al, my man...” Matthias said nervously. Putting his large hands in his lap, he hoped his friend wouldn’t see him twisting his ring. “Have you really thought this through before coming to ask me?”</p>
<hr/><p>On the other side of the palace, there was another knock on Yao’s office door. A million possibilities rushed through his mind – was it Matthew, coming to ask about the program about the fifth day of the Meeting, or a member of the advisors, coming to grill him <em>yet again</em>?</p><p>To his surprise, though, he was greeted by two members of the Chosen. Squinting at their nametags, he quickly addressed them when they bowed in lieu of greeting.</p><p>“Sir Alfonso, Sir Arthur,” he said. “What do you require of me?”</p><p>“Do you want to go first, Sir Arthur?” It became apparent that the two of them didn’t intend to arrive together. “Oh, yeah, then that’s okay. Your Highness, we’d like to enquire about the notice put up on the library?”</p><p>“The notice? Ah, yes,” Yao said, quickly remembering. Usually, there would be academic courses available and permanent access to the library for all the Chosen, but due to the time sensitive nature of having to both host the Meeting and start the Deciding at the same time, not to mention the lack of manpower between him and Matthew, it was simply impossible. “Well, I deeply apologise for not having the lessons available. With the nature of the Primary Suit only being Ace Matthew and I as of now, we’ve had to limit it because of that reason.”</p><p>The two of them looked disappointed, but didn’t verbally express it. Good for him, he wasn’t feeling accommodating of any sort of useless complaints. “Thank you, Your Highness,” they both said, one just behind another. He was about to gently dismiss them when the familiar sound of Alfred’s fist knocking on his office door greeted him for the second time that day. “Do come in.”</p><p>“Hey, Yao!” Alfred was grinning from ear to ear, and had brought the guards Matthias and Berwald along with him. He waved cheerfully, before he noticed the two Chosen standing awkwardly in the background. “Oh hey, Alfonso, and Arthur too! What are you two doing here?”</p><p>They, too, hastily bowed, though with a touch of amusement Yao noticed that their greetings were a little more flustered in their nature. “Your Highness, we – no, do go on, Sir Alfonso...oh. Erm, we were simply enquiring about the lessons, Your Highness.”</p><p>Yao silently gestured to Berwald and Matthias to step inside his office whilst Alfred explained. “Well, it’s not as if they’re not gonna happen, we’re just going to wait until there are less people in the palace so the workload is manageable for all three of us. Okay with you guys?”</p><p>“Yeah, of course!”</p><p>“Understood. We won’t bother you and Jack Yao any longer,” Arthur said, nodding hastily, already backing out of the doorway. “Good day, Your Highnesses.”</p><p>“Not at all! Good, uh, day, you two,” Alfred said, sending them a wink before closing the door gently behind them. “Right! So, Yao, I managed to find six guards to accompany us on Saturday morning.”</p><p>“Oh? Good work, Alfred,” Yao said. “Excellent. You’ve accounted for the cameramen, correct? Since we did discuss the number to be around eight, was it not?”</p><p>“Two or one of ‘em should be enough, so that should be six. I’ll bring my clock, so...” Alfred started to say, but stopped at Yao’s expression. “Oh. I can’t do that?”</p><p>“No, of course you can, as you always do,” he said, “It’s just that I prefer you not attempt to manipulate time with so many people around, if push comes to shove. Assuming, that is, you are going to town. I know that your use of it is proficient, however I would prefer not to take any risks. That is, Fates forbid, the Joker rebels take advantage of it and disturb your magical energy.”</p><p>He risked a quick glance at the guards, who appeared nonplussed. For his part, Berwald and Yao had entered the throes of the palace around the same time; and were well acquainted with another as a result to the point where they considered themselves friendly. During the year that the cruel Virus had wreaked on the palace – first Yao’s mother, then the-then King and Queen of Spades, Berwald’s silent, undemanding companionship had been something the Jack could never forget his gratitude towards.</p><p>As for Matthias, he remembered that Alfred and him had served in the military at the same time, and had been a relatively frequent face around the palace and the prince since coming home. Yet another reminder of how untraditional their Primary Suit was, Yao thought ruefully. Holding an actual Deciding was the first thing they’d done in awhile that was in line with tradition.</p><p>“You’re right, but...it would be kind of weird if there was a small army of guards around us all the time. And I don’t need my clock to handle myself in a decent fight, anyway,” Alfred said after a pause. “Not to mention, it wouldn’t look too good for the cameras, since it’s pretty much saying we need <em>that </em>much security just to go outside the palace. It’ll make us look weak. Against the rebels.”</p><p>Matthias gingerly raised a hand up. “Your Highness, it is worth mentioning that neither Hearts nor Diamonds have recorded activities on our shared borders within the past week. As well as the briefing that the repelling of those attempting to forcibly attack patrols at the border we share with the Joker rebels have been successful, I think it is reasonable to assume that our borders will be secure for awhile.”</p><p>“Not to mention the other nations have not mentioned another attack in two weeks,” Yao said, lifting his chin from his wrist. “Excellent point, Alfred – and thank you, Matthias, Berwald. I believe that will be all, then. Other than asking the girls, I’d also like you to ensure that we have the two cameramen ready for the task on Saturday, Alfred.”</p><p>The prince nodded. “Yao,” Berwald said, dipping his head. “Wh’t may we do for you?”</p><p>“I appreciate you two being there for Alfred greatly,” he said, returning the gesture. “I would like the list of the guards accompanying them on Saturday, so I can attempt to alter their schedules so their time off is compensated. Yours as well.”</p><p>“Of course, Jack Yao,” Matthias said. His expression unusually serious, he took a deep breath before speaking. “If you need any support, please do let us know. With the Primary Suit spread so thin, if there are any concerns about your safety all you need to do is ask.”</p><p>That threw him for a loop. <em>Surely they don’t know about the situation with the advisorship, </em>he thought to himself. Yes, that must be right. With the Meeting and all, and the ample assurances to Alfred that he wouldn’t needlessly rush the process, even with Katya’s extra protection there were some insulated threats they could not defend against.</p><p>He quickly fixed his troubled expression; it was untoward for such rumours to spread among Cards that a Jack could not hold down the fort for another few months. Even so, there was nothing wrong with accepting aid from friends. “Yes. I’ll be sure to do so.”</p>
<hr/><p>After dinner, the news had already spread like wildfire that Avie and Sakura were leaving the palace for a date on Saturday. Not only within the castle walls, but footage of his conversation with them was on the news already before lunch. Though Arthur and Leon were having breakfast today, Emma stopped by their room to coax them to come downstairs to the Drawing Room.</p><p>Leon didn’t hesitate to ask as soon as he noticed she wasn’t with her. “Uh, Em, where’s Sakura?” he said.</p><p>“Did something happen to her? Surely nothing would have gone amiss.”</p><p>“No, it’s,” Emma took a pause to push her brown hair out of her face, “It’s really really great news! She and Avie are going out to town with the prince.”</p><p>She got the reaction she was hoping for when both of them stopped in their tracks. “Outside?!”</p><p>“Yeah, outside! Don’t just stand there like lame ducks,” she giggled, “Let’s keep on going.”</p><p>“I’d totally kill to go outside just once,” Leon sighed as they picked up the pace once more. “My brother and I visited Spades once when I was, like, eight, and I haven’t been back since. It kind of sucks that we didn’t even get to explore the Inner Circle or anything.”</p><p>“You’re right,” Arthur said. Leon pulled ahead, then he realised he and Emma were glancing at each other awkwardly. He was sure they were thinking the same thing – going outside wasn’t the point but rather it was the date with the prince.</p><p>As soon as they entered the Drawing Room, it was a bit of a scene. Sakura, looking awfully stressed, was enveloped by a hug from Emma the moment she swung open the door.</p><p>“Give her some space, please!” Noticing that Natalya was standing, unmoving, Emma frowned. “I said, please give her some space.”</p><p>“Emma, it is all right,” Sakura said, rushing to stop the slight standoff that had started. “Miss Natalya was helping me this morning whilst you were gone.”</p><p>Her words were even more muddled than usual due to her accent coming out in its nervousness, but it seemed as if the situation diffused. Other than that, Avie was sitting on her plush sofa speaking to five different Chosen, the television was playing faintly in the background and Alfonso was reading the newspaper. Bidding a quick farewell to Leon, Arthur made his way to his side and greeted him.</p><p>“Good morning, Arthur,” Alfonso responded in turn, tilting his head so his ponytail fell slightly to the side. “D’ya want to sit down?”</p><p>“Thank you,” Arthur said, settling gratefully onto the seat. “How’s the situation been?”</p><p>“Gonna be real, I came down here with Thomas earlier,” he said, “But I haven’t been speaking to Sakura or Avie about it. There’s already an article about it in the paper, and they’re airing a segment about it on the television.”</p><p>“Oh, I see.” Arthur decided to not disturb his reading for a moment and directed his attention to the screen. From the small, beat up one they had during their childhood, to the expensive looking installed in the cafeteria in the holding facilities, he clearly remembered there was dedicated television time during a Deciding season.</p><p>No one else was really paying attention to the television, which must have meant it had aired enough times. As he watched, a clip from what must have been on this morning’s news started playing.</p><p>“Are we in trouble, Your Highness?” That was Sakura, her face gently lit by the lights in the then empty Drawing Room. It had clearly happened last night, judging from the darkened sky yesterday. “I mean, you requested us to r-look here tonight.”</p><p>Avie didn’t say anything, but the tension in her expression was palpable by the way the camera tightened on her face.</p><p>“No, not at all,” Alfred was saying – he looked incredibly relaxed, much more so than he had earlier on in the day. Inadvertedly, Arthur found his shoulders relaxing as well. “It’s actually an awesome thing! I wanted to ask if the two of you would like to go on a date with me in the Inner Circle on Saturday.”</p><p>There was a palpable pause. Avie gasped, her lithe hand flying to her mouth, whilst two pink spots appeared on Sakura’s cheeks. “A date?” they said, exchanging glances. “Outside?”</p><p>Alfred nodded in response. “Yeah, that’s the plan!” he said, sounding a little bashful. Guiltily, as the clip progressed, Arthur found himself watching the prince a little more than his friend and Avie. “It has some risks compared to being in the palace and all, so you’re completely allowed to say no, and we can do something fun inside the palace if you’re worried.”</p><p><em>Of course no one would say no to you asking them out</em>, Arthur rolled his eyes internally, but couldn’t fight a smile at the way Alfred’s face lit up as soon as they both responded enthusiastically. <em>If you were in Jack Yao’s office yesterday, you might have been working hard for this date to even occur.</em></p><p>All of a sudden, a pang of longing raced through his system. Even though he knew that the two girls would be receiving a lot of attention from the press and from their fellow Chosen, it felt negligible compared to the time spent with...him. Yes, he’d never been to the Inner Circle either, but he wouldn’t want to visit it alone...</p><p>Being so wrapped up in his own conflicting feelings, he barely noticed everyone filing out for lunch until it was almost too late. Quickly getting to his feet and following Alfonso, he tried his best to leave his thoughts along with Alfred’s smiling face on the screen.</p>
<hr/><p>“I’m sure many of you have heard by now, but Lady Avie and Lady Sakura are going with me on Saturday to the Inner Circle,” Alfred said, right after lunch.</p><p>Doing a quick sweep of the room revealed that not everyone was happy, which was to be expected, though Alfred had to give them credit for disguising their dismay. He’d prepared for this, he’d prepared for this – he had to move on. “That is not to say that it won’t be the only date that’s happening outside, though.”</p><p>It had the desired effect of everyone sitting up in their chairs, suddenly a hundred times more alert. Barely fighting back a grin, he continued. “Of course, it’s subject to approval from the relevant people, but I hope that I can take as many people on dates beyond the palace as possible. I understand that it’s hard to stay in the palace for so long, so I’d like to start with this one. So please, don’t feel dejected.”</p><p>And with that, almost all the things he wanted to do during the meal were almost done, except...</p><p>“Can I ask to see the following people: Sir Vitor, Sir Mark, Lady Natalya, Lady Kiara and Sir Arthur?” He’d gone through this list a thousand times in his bathroom the night before, but even saying it made him fight off a shudder. “Just a few words after lunch, it won’t be too long. In my office, if that’s all right – please wait outside until my secretary calls you in.”</p><p>Looks were exchanged, eyebrows were raised, and the chatter that had died down around the room not even a moment ago flared up once more. He fought the urge to look at everyone’s reactions, choosing instead to simply bow and walk as gracefully as he could out of the hall.</p>
<hr/><p>It was probably cruel to not finish the last bite of fig pudding he had on his plate, but the moment Alfred called his name Arthur simply did not have the stomach to eat anything any longer. Both Leon and Emma had noticed his nerves and attempted to console him, but he’d decided that he would take a short detour directly to the office to get rid of the dread that came with being eliminated.</p><p>He’d expected it. There was no way someone, who hadn’t already confessed his feelings to the prince, would be allowed to stay in the palace any longer. The competition had been moving swiftly, after all, so it wasn’t a confusing move, yet the pang of sadness festering in his throat was.</p><p>The shock of the announcement had made him realise that he’d wanted to stay. Much more than he believed he’d wanted to.</p><p>So it was with a despondent expression that he encountered the other four that had been summoned. Neither of the five of them seemed happy to interact, either – he only exchanged brief eye contact with Natalya before they settled in the blue backed ornate chairs. Somehow, she seemed almost unchanged from the girl he’d met in the registrar office in Hearts. Why couldn't he have done the same?</p><p>A man with dark brown hair styled upwards came outside of Alfred’s office and summoned Sir Vitor with a gruff voice – that must be his secretary, surprisingly imposing. He and the other boy went into the office, the door shut, then that was the end of it, so fast that even the cameraman that appeared in the hallway shortly after he’d entered missed it.</p><p>Until, at least, one of the most pained “Oh, Fates,” Arthur had ever heard wafted out of the room. Kiara instantly burst into tears, covering her face with her palms. Mark hunched over, head in his hands. Natalya did not outwardly react, but Arthur could tell that her entire body was ice.</p><p>What felt like the shortest ten minutes of Arthur’s life passed, and then Vitor came outside of the room. His eyes were puffy and he looked heartbroken, which could mean one thing. Mark tried to stand up and speak with him, but he only gave him a look before running to their right, across the hallway and up the staircase, camera trained on every movement.</p><p>The same happened for Kiara, then neither Natalya or Arthur attempted to console Mark who wordlessly walked in the direction of the bathroom on the left side of the floor. Of course, Arthur had to be the last one to go into the room, and Natalya’s unmoving expression betrayed nothing once more.</p><p>“Sir Arthur, was it?” his secretary said, opening the door and gesturing him to get up from his chair. “His Highness requests your presence now.”</p><p>Taking a deep breath, Arthur gripped the doorknob and pushed.</p>
<hr/><p>The sun was already setting, orange rays melting through Alfred’s window. For his part, the prince did not look nearly as cheerful as he had this morning. “Your Highness,” Arthur said, bowing once before he sunk himself in the chair opposing his. His secretary shut the door before Alfred spoke.</p><p>“Arthur, how are you today?” he said. <em>He’s in formal mode, I understand. </em></p><p>“I’m doing well, Your Highness,” he replied, swallowing audibly. “You asked for my company?”</p><p>“I did, yes,” he said. This was even worse than Arthur had expected it to be – a quick, short elimination, a polite request to pack his things and leave. “I, uh...actually, y’know, you should stick to calling me Alfred.”</p><p>Arthur couldn’t stop himself. “For the last time, before I leave the palace?” he said, voice cracking momentarily. He would not appear weak. He <em>could not </em>appear weak.</p><p>There was another pause before Alfred’s mouth hung open. “What is it? Am I not supposed to be u-upset that I’m leaving?” Arthur retorted, before he could stop himself. Another silence predated the answer. “Alfred – Your Highness – I did not know you to be so callous.”</p><p>“...Huh?” Alfred mumbled, looking completely nonplussed. “I dunno what you mean-”</p><p>“Are you too dense to figure out that I don’t want to leave this place?” Arthur said, not daring to look him in the eye. “Yet when you are eliminating me, you cannot refrain from prolonging my pain and instead choose to-”</p><p>“Elimination? Arthur, I don’t get what’cha mean at all?” Alfred said, his handsome face contorted in a baffled expression, which then grew serious. “Hey, who told you that you were gonna go home?”</p><p>“...Pardon?” He could feel himself quivering with emotion as their eyes met. “You did, did you not? When you asked me to come to your office?”</p><p>“I, uh, asked you to come to my <em>office</em>,” Alfred said, emphasizing the repeated phrase. “I just wanted to see you for a bit. Didn’t ask you to go home.”</p><p>A creeping mortification started to fiercely make itself known to Arthur. “But coming to your office, or being pulled away can only mean one thing,” he stammered, blinking rapidly. He felt moisture bubble at the edge of his eyes; he had never been so thankful that his secretary had not remained in the room. “I thought that...”</p><p>“Huh? No, Artie – ah, you’re crying!” Pushing off the handles of his chair, Alfred came closer to him, gaze behind his glasses swelling with concern. Arthur tried to scrabble in his pocket for a handkerchief, and started to raise it to his cheek before Alfred’s gloved hand gently touched his. “No, please – let me.”</p><p>“I’m not crying, I...I apologise, I was overcome with emotion,” Arthur insisted, but no other words could come out after he’d finished speaking. He watched with bated breath as the golden blond hastily removed his glove and with surprisingly gentle movements, dabbed clumsily at his cheek. Suddenly, he was acutely aware of his own reflection in Alfred’s very blue eyes, the sensation of his fingers barely separated from his skin by his handkerchief, the way his slightly cracked lips were parted. “Alfred...”</p><p>Alfred’s other hand brushed his fringe from his green eyes, but their distance did not change, to the chagrin of his pounding heart. “Arthur, I’m sorry. I should have told you earlier so that there wasn’t a misunderstanding.”</p><p>“The others were eliminated, correct?” Finally, some time to compose him self even more. The possibility had strained him so much, mortified him so much that he didn’t even want to look him in the eye. How could he come to such a foolish conclusion? Was it his non-existent self esteem to blame, or his assumptive mind?</p><p>“Yes, that’s right. All except Natalya, I wanted to invite her on a date, and... You, as well.” Alfred said. “I believed that it would be better if I requested your presences all at once, but I now realise it caused you unnecessary pain. I’m sorry, Arthur.”</p><p>There was a very, very long pause until he looked up from his clasped hands and their eyes met again. “Alfred,” Arthur said, trying his best to keep his voice steady, “I must confirm with you – you have no intentions of sending me home tonight?”</p><p>Alfred shook his head fervently, stuffing his glove into his pocket and getting up from the position he was kneeling in. “If I could be so bold, Artie...I have no intentions of sending you home for a very long time.”</p><p>“To be honest, I wasn’t completely sure on whether you wanted to remain here for awhile, and was gonna to ask you whether you wanted to stay after the date I was gonna ask you on, but from your reaction,” he said, barely giving Arthur time to react to his words, “I thought, that day when Sir Leon asked me to see you, that you were requesting to leave. But, uh, after hearing that you truly want to stay...”</p><p>Arthur simply nodded.</p><p>“I’m still holding onto that hope, that you might have one more reason to wanna stay here other than the ones I know you already have,” he said ruefully, rubbing the small of his neck. “Even if you don’t, uh, hate me, I can at least say I’m trying, right? So I thought.”</p><p>“You dolt, I...” the prince leaned closer, causing Arthur’s cheeks to flare. “You’re too close, again! But, er, you <em>know</em> that I don’t...I don’t hate you.”</p><p>“Even after everything, huh?”</p><p>“Don’t push it,” he bit back, moving his face away from his. “Making me jump to conclusions like that and overwhelming me by pulling out the rug underneath me. I’m not so sure about accepting you on that date, now.”</p><p>“I mean,” Alfred said, appearing nonchalant yet was given away by the teasing expression on his features, “If you don't <em>wanna</em> go on a date...”</p><p>The thought crossed his mind to instinctively deny it, yet there was some truth in his words that he couldn’t push back. <em>At least try to be honest for once.</em></p><p>“I-I did not say that,” he said stoutly, folding his arms. Even though being honest was difficult, if his suspicions of his own fledgling feelings were to be believed, he still couldn’t deflect every conversation they had. “I was just trying to be, er, considerate of the fact that there are so many people in this competition, after all.”</p><p>“Yeah, but don’t you remember what I told you before about being more secure in your place here?”</p><p>Arthur’s traitorous heart fluttered when Alfred gave him a wink, patting his shoulder. Attempting to deflect, he mumbled an answer. “No, I don’t remember that conversation.”</p><p>“Aw. I guess I’ll just have to say it again! What?” he joked, seeing Arthur’s exasperated face. “It’s important, you know! Okay, okay. Hey now, what if I sweeten the deal to say that you can choose where we can go? I can’t take you outside just yet because of the logistics and stuff, but you can choose where we go.”</p><p>“Don’t pat my shoulder, idiot,” Arthur huffed, though he made no real move to shove off his warm, gloveless hand, even though the contact of his skin still made him self conscious, as if they were embedded in the traditional stories that he’d guiltily read whilst Kiku wasn’t in the living room. “...There is a place I might be interested in. It would be a pity to visit it without a companion, so it might be a good idea to visit it with you.”</p><p>“I’m flattered!” he exclaimed. “Hmm, let me guess – the gardens?”</p><p>“Surely even <em>you’re </em>bored of it.”</p><p>“N-Not if it’s with you,” Alfred mumbled, blushing to Arthur’s pleasant surprise. “A-Anyway! Not that, hm hm. The stables?”</p><p>“It might be a little too early for a novice to experience riding,” Arthur said, his thick eyebrows raising. “At least, I’d like to wait until a little later before I lose all the uses of my legs.”</p><p>“Hey! You know the hero will protect you and everything,” he protested childishly, but strangely there was some endearment to it. “I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”</p><p>“Why, thank you, in that case, hero,” Arthur smirked. “However tempting the idea is now, it’s still not the one I had in mind.”</p><p>“Man, you’re one hard guy to guess about,” Alfred said, subconsciously squeezing his shoulder a little tighter in nervousness. “’Kay, one more before you tell me! The kitchen!”</p><p>He only needed to look at Arthur wincing to give up. “Oh man. Okay, uh, Artie, where do you wanna go?”</p><p>Arthur tilted back his head and met his gaze; the most enthusiastic Alfred had seen him that day. “How would the library sound on Friday?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>please leave comments/feedback/interaction, would mean a lot!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Act 18</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hope you enjoy :D</p><p>please leave comments/feedback/interaction, would mean a lot!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The night before the date came, and Arthur was nervous. He hadn’t told a soul about it, only spoke to announce the devastating news that no, he wasn’t going home tomorrow, and fought back a smirk when he noticed the disappointed faces on his detractors.</p><p>Though there was still one thing. “Mark’s gone, hasn’t he?” Emma asked quietly over dinner, which Arthur confirmed with a small nod. A pained expression flitted over her face, which he didn’t expect. Whilst Sakura reached out to comfort her, a tiny voice weaselled into his head that he wouldn’t repeat the thoughts of, ever: <em>Shouldn’t she be happy that there’s one less to vie with for the prince?</em></p><p>Perhaps it wouldn’t be a thought that she would allow herself to think, even if they had been close, supposedly. Arthur’s shrivelled, tiny optimistic side told him that it was a good thing, but his dominant pessimistic side could only hope that no one would take advantage of her good nature the deeper the competition went, and when people started to turn on each other.</p><p>Such thoughts must have presented themselves as a gloom over his face because Leon elbowed him. “Hey, Arthur. Did you want to actually go home or something? Your face is totally gloomy.”</p><p>“No, of course not,” Arthur said quickly, wiping the corners of his mouth. Excellent, another reminder of how different he was from his friends. Given the circumstances of the Deciding, they had grown close together much faster than what he’d expected, but there were still so many things that separated them that he couldn’t help but feel isolated at times. Just another reminder of how he stuck out like a sore thumb.</p><p>Thankfully, Leon didn’t decide to push it further and went back to his meal, though near the end of the dinner session he muttered something to Arthur. “If there’s, like, anything you want to tell me, just know I’ll hear you out. I’m sure Emma and Sakura’ll do the same.”</p><p>That comfort admittedly did take him aback. Perhaps it had been the scathing words of those not from the holding facilities, but he’d been feeling more isolated of late. It had taken him months to allow himself to befriend Kiku, yet it had only been one month in the palace and everything had moved so fast.</p><p>That wasn’t to say that the friendships he’d forged hadn’t meant anything, of course. Though he believed he wouldn’t ever be as close to anyone friendship wise compared to with Kiku, it didn’t matter – forged under such unique circumstances, he was fortunate for them to be genuine. For that reason alone, he...</p><p>Arthur reoriented himself in the direction of the Drawing Room, following him, and offered a nod to Leon who was slightly surprised at his participation. They’d stuck their necks out for him already, he should do the same not just because he felt obligated, but he wanted to. “I’d...do the same, Leon. Anytime.”</p>
<hr/><p>He hadn’t expected Leon to take him up on that promise on the morning of the date, but here they were.</p><p>"The door's closed, right?" Leon hissed, borrowing a pillow from Arthur’s four-poster bed.</p><p>"Yes, I suppose so," the blond agreed, fishing out his tie, discarded from the dinner, before he sat in the chair. "Locked, like you asked."</p><p>"Good." He sighed, brushing away a lock of hair from his forehead before facing Arthur with a serious expression.</p><p>Suddenly, as abruptly as them having breakfast in his room once more, Leon placed his hands on Arthur's shoulders and shook them, with a slightly panicked look now on his face.</p><p>“You have to promise to not tell another soul about what I’m about to say,” he pleaded, and the blond nodded quickly, taken aback by the intensity of his expression, so different from who he usually was. There was clearly a reason why he'd taken him aside like this, even going so far as to lock the door.</p><p>"Of course, Leon. I'll never say a word. Is everything okay?"</p><p>"Yeah, it's just…Alfred. The prince. Whatever.” Leon said, folding his arms and looking uncomfortable. “You know, the date before the Broadcast?” At Arthur’s nod, he continued. “We were, like, speaking afterwards, and were thinking of going out again at some point…but at the same time, I don’t feel any...anything. I don't think it's going to work out. Like, at all." he looked down at his plastic slippers.</p><p>"What makes you think that?” Arthur asked, after a silence. This wasn’t supposed to happen, surely – Leon had been an exemplary candidate these six weeks. “I mean, you’ve been excellent in every other way, and I thought the two of you were getting along.”</p><p>"We are! At least, we’re totally friendly, but that’s...” Leon exclaimed, his usually composed face breaking into one that suggested great frustration. “I still can't feel <em>anything, </em>at least not in the way a lover should. No romantic connection, no sparks, my heart doesn’t pound like it should, it just all feels wrong.”</p><p>"Erm, I suppose Alfred's just a little careful with his heart.” Arthur stumbled, forgetting to add Alfred’s affix, but Leon seemed preoccupied enough not to point it out. “He's just trying to slowly get to know all of us; you should just give him some time. You told me about the fact that you’re getting along with him as friends, has that not changed your opinion at all? At least, a hope that it might blossom into something more?"</p><p>"I know that hopes are a child’s toy so late into the game,” Leon said, his eyebrows creasing in bitterness. “The problem isn’t getting myself to tolerate his company, either. Yes, he’s attractive, and he's funny and nice, but those are, like, things you could say about a <em>friend</em>. The Deciding won’t come down to someone that you can only totally think of as a friend versus someone he genuinely loves – and we both know there are people like that already here."</p><p>Now <em>that </em>was different - and a lot more difficult to talk him through, knowing the confusion in his own heart.</p><p>"I just keep, like, waiting for the moment that everything clicks that changes him for me, that makes me feel so much more than 'he's nice', but it never comes,” Leon seemed to becoming more frustrated by the minute. “Even if I were to force myself to, like, change, I don't even know what he’d want, so that’s an utterly useless front."</p><p>Arthur thought about it for a second, and then shook his head. “Has he confided in you about it?” A weak deflection of their garden conversations, but perhaps it would help him find out a little more about their relationship.</p><p>"No, he hasn't told me what he's looking for the physical or mental department. Not in, like, words, at least.” he shrugged. “I don't think he's even sent me subtle messages about it...or at least, is able to. He totally wears his heart on his sleeve, I feel."</p><p>Arthur couldn’t resist snorting behind his cup of tea. "Yes, he does.”</p>
<hr/><p>“...Though, Arthur,” Leon said, elegantly wiping the corners of his mouth, “I’m totally sure he likes <em>you</em>. So you must be doing something right. Right?”</p><p>The blond scrunched together his thick eyebrows, reflecting on the past month or so on what he had done. Calling him an idiot during half the time they spend together…not very good. Without his intervention, he might had been arrested twice…hardly something to brag about. Kept his priceless jacket after a date, though it was by accident…even worse. Called him ‘Alfred’ privately so early...</p><p>"No,” he mumbled, flushing despite himself. “U-Unless you think behaving taciturnly is doing something right.”</p><p>Leon snorted, which gave him a sense of relief to know that his friend still had some spirit left in him.</p><p>"But seriously…do you think that my feelings are forbidden?” His tone had now turned insistent.</p><p>"Well, I won’t say that they’re forbidden per se. From what we learned, the history of Decidings have usually been conducted more so for filling in positions of the Primary Suit than for romance,” Arthur reasoned. “It just so happened that this one filled both roles at once. I’m inclined to believe that not everyone has confessed their utter devotion, including me.”</p><p>"I totally knew it," he sighed, sounding more relieved than upset. "Yet...you still see the possibility of being with him. It doesn’t feel like a game to you, either, right?”</p><p>"I'm not seeing this as a game," Arthur replied, resting his chin on his palm. “Not completely sure why, but yes, I don’t. I suppose I’m still daft about these sorts of things.” Leon hid an amused laugh, and pretended to nod in understanding whilst stretching lazily like a cat. Arthur studied the view outside his vast windows before he spoke again.</p><p>“Even beyond my possible feelings, there’s still several reasons why I have to stay here and not end my chances prematurely before I’ve given it time to develop. It’s been six weeks. But I’m not sure what to tell you in this case, except I’m glad that you did in fact speak about it.”</p><p>Leon perked up, reaching down to take a bite of his sandwich over his plush pillow. “Of course, I trust you,” he said, flooding his chest with a sense of relief. “Though...what am I going to do now, Arthur?".</p><p>"Well,” he said reluctantly, “If you really don't like him that way, I think you should tell him. I mean, it won't sit well with him or his advisors, but as you said, he wears his heart on his sleeve. Because of that, for his sake, I feel as if he should know.”</p><p>There was a pause before Leon shook his head, much to his confusion. “What you said earlier was right, though, Arthur. I, like, can’t let it end so soon.”</p><p>"Why, Leon? What's keeping you here?" <em>What do you have to fight for? Not for the monetary compensation, and you already have such an elevated rank where you could enter the lottery back at home for a form. </em>“If you’d like to confide, that is.”</p><p>"It’s just that...it’s not a game. I know that. At least, most of us don’t see it as a game, but for those who <em>do </em>and want him merely for the crown, I can’t sympathise with them like, at all.” The words seemed to be coming much slower than they usually did with him. “Even though I don't like him romantically, and he probably doesn't like me in that way back, there’s totally still that hope, right?”</p><p>“R-Right.”</p><p>“It’s foolish, but I, like, want someone to love me for <em>me</em>, not my money or my title or my wealth at some point.” Leon said, slouching until his elbows rested on his knees. “Even if that means marrying poor, or my life becomes so much more different that I'd thought it would be. I can't leave when there’s still that luxury of being with someone I’ve truly had the time to care about…not now. He may be a friend now, but things can totally change."</p><p>The other boy nodded, having found truth in his words, yet tried to get them to stop echoing in his ears. Leon’s struggle was a surprise, yes, but with the competition only having just started, perhaps it would be more commonplace than they thought. He shouldn’t count himself out before feelings really had time to develop, including Arthur’s own...</p><p>"Leon,” he said, gingerly reaching out to pat his friend’s shoulder, “Just stay here as long as you need to, all right?"</p><p>After that, they continued to eat breakfast and have their usual day, with Leon going to the Drawing Room shortly before lunch and Arthur going to the post office to see if there was any word from his family. Yet something nagged at him, for the rest of the day.</p><p><em>Even if that means marrying poor...what in the name of the Fates does he mean? </em>Obviously, as a member of the royalty, Alfred wasn’t in want of money. And Leon himself wouldn’t be anytime soon, life and social favour permitting. So why even mention that?</p><p>
  <em>I suppose he’s just saying it for the sake of it. Or are those not from the holding facilities really that different from us at all?</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>That, combined with everything else, was why Arthur had trouble focusing during lunch. Somehow, Anna had done the impossible and made wearing a turtleneck in the spring bearable, so much so that he’d wanted to wear it for today. Eating each spoonful of food with extra care, however, was not exactly his forte and he was sure he couldn’t make himself eat a single bite if the sweater wasn’t as dark blue as it was. A slim notepad in his pocket for possible topics about things he’d like to take out in the library...that was the only weapon in his arsenal today to handle the date with Alfred.</p><p>Another matter, that of the prince, made him acutely aware of any movement up where the three royals sat. Usually, he would have some vague idea due to Emma casually discussing it, but usually he wouldn’t be paying attention and usually he wasn’t scheduled be on a <em>date</em>, so everything was different. He’d wanted to try to catch Alfred’s attention when he first walked in, yet the prince was conversing with a few other members of the Chosen on his right, and he hadn’t mustered enough courage to do the same again.</p><p>The same could not be said for the other, though. <em>Look this way, come on, pleaaaase, </em>Alfred yelled internally, twisting his fork. <em>I wanna smile and wink at you! Then you can smile and wink at me back!</em></p><p>He’d cleared out the library and finished everything that needed to be done for the Meeting that was due for the day, so he wouldn’t really mind too much if the time went over. It wasn’t an issue anyway, since the other boy was the only date on his schedule today, after the hectic dating schedule he’d been taking the past week. Not like he was really confident about a date in a place he barely went to, but hopefully Arthur knew what he was doing. At least, he knew what he was doing with the pumpkin soup, carefully lifting it to his mouth, not a single drop of the soup spilled, completely unfazed.</p><p>
  <em>Fitting in so perfectly like that, you can’t expect me to not watch. </em>
</p><p>“Alfred, what’s with your bad habit of leg shaking now, hm?” Yao was chastising him, jerking him out of his thoughts. “You’re not nervous about your day, are you? You told me you only had the one arrangement today, compared to the three yesterday.”</p><p>“Yeah, I do, but it’s still nerve wracking every time, Yao!” he wailed. Okay, maybe Arthur made him feel a distinct type of nerves, but that made the point even worse.</p><p>Matthew fought back a smug smile. “Doesn’t have to manifest in the leg shaking. You know, you and your super strength. Might actually break the table like the last time you and Ivan had an argument.”</p><p>“Now that was hilarious,” Yao chipped in good naturedly, gesturing with his fork. “I thought they were going to attempt to wrestle each other again.”</p><p>“But that stopped once you pulled out your staff! Yao, that’s so mean to tease-”</p><p>“Not with that reaction, obviously!”</p><p>“Matthew! Not you too, man,” Alfred wailed, though he himself was fighting back a laugh. It seemed as if the Chosen had noticed, though, as the laughter spread itself through the room. Forgetting himself, Alfred turned to look at them, and then caught Arthur’s eyes watching him, his head shaking in disapproval, something in his eyes. The smile dropped from his lips for a moment, taking in the fondness in his gaze, their eyes meeting for a second too long before Arthur broke away, head ducking away in embarrassment.</p><p>He didn’t know it yet, but as he felt his heartbeat speed up, that moment would sustain him for the weeks to come. The fun quickly subsided and everyone continued on eating their lunch, though Alfred had to contend with the look in his eyes all through the meal. What had it meant? Was it just friendship? Civility? Contempt? Some other concept that was in a fancy word that he didn’t quite understand?</p><p>Or was it what Alfred had been hoping for so long? Okay, six weeks wasn’t super long, that was fair, but this was <em>also </em>a Deciding. It would look terrible on him if it dragged on for ages and ages. He’d promised Yao and Matthew to ascend the throne as soon as possible, anyway, in order to both fill the roles of king and queen, and not to mention the advisors-</p><p>The one sweet thought that he’d had in his throat soured, and he coughed it back, forcing his expression back into one of laughter. He didn’t think Yao had noticed as his mentor went back to his meal chuckling, and Matthew simply patted him in on the shoulder, mentioning that it was only in good fun before doing the same.</p><p>Maybe it was his focus on ignoring his sudden misery that he didn’t notice Arthur quietly watching him, observing his small storm with a hint of concern.</p>
<hr/><p>“So, Artie? What are we gonna do today?”</p><p>Thankfully, he could at least have that little tease. “Artie...ah, I-I told you to not use that nickname, idiot,” Arthur stammered, left hand tightening on the notepad, rendered flustered even before they’d gotten to the library.</p><p>After lunch, whilst everyone had filed out of the dining hall and went probably to the drawing room, Arthur had dithered until there was just the two of them in the room, as Alfred had said goodbye to Matthew and Yao when they’d left to complete more Meeting prep. Save for one camera, they were alone.</p><p>Yet he could barely help himself. Fighting to keep his composure, Alfred moved forward, closing the distance between them even more. A fierce blush spread on his cheeks. “Alfred, you’re too...too close-”</p><p>“Hm hm, so that’s your reaction,” Alfred said in a singsong manner. Oh, but, his lips were so close...and they looked so soft and so pale pink to him, parted in a small <em>o </em>of shock. He could even see the chandelier lights reflect off of his long eyelashes. If Alfred leaned just a little bit forward and tilted his nose at an angle...</p><p><em>Noooo! I mean,</em> <em>no no no, what am I thinking? Oh man, that’s absolutely not heroic at all, uh...if I could do that, it would be super cool. But I can’t! I’m not tongue tied or anything, but... </em></p><p>All of a sudden, Arthur saw Alfred’s cheeks turn scarlet behind his frames, before <em>he </em>looked away – what was with that? He hadn’t seen him so embarrassed, and they were still so close together physically, to the point where he could feel the tiny caresses of Alfred’s breath on his cheek. If he just moved forward just a little bit and touched his face, pulling him closer and breaking that forbidden space between them...</p><p>“We’re going to the library today, not standing around in the dining room,” Arthur huffed, forcibly wrenching himself out of his foolish thoughts. Oh Fates, there was a camera that he’d barely noticed. That meant that their encounter might be recorded, which made that closeness even more mortifying. “We should get going, Your Highness.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Alfred said, though he appeared dazed for some reason. “Yeah, let’s, uh,” he looked over the top of Arthur’s head to see the cameras, “Sir Arthur. Follow me!”</p><p>Pausing to extend his arm to him, to which he obviously refused with a smirk, they both walked towards the library within the palace, lone cameraman following. As soon as they arrived, though, Alfred gently opened the large oak doors and gestured Arthur in first, before pausing to share a few words with the cameraman.</p><p>“Hey, buddy, can I have a moment of your time?” he whispered, cupping his mouth for secrecy once he noticed Arthur’s awe at the library.</p><p>“Of course, Your Highness.”</p><p>“I believe I told you about this before, but is it all right if you come back later? Say, uh,” he dug into his white shirt and checked his clock, “Two to three hours? I’d prefer it if you could respect Sir Arthur’s privacy, as well as mine. Also, it’s the library, so it might be a little too quiet for another guy besides us, I guess. I’d really appreciate it.”</p><p>The cameraman looked a little frustrated, but simply nodded and stepped backwards as Alfred closed the door to the library with a small noise.</p>
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<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Act 19</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>CONTENT WARNING: This chapter contains a scene of unprotected h*nd h*lding. For the faint of heart, please look away.</p><p> </p><p>please leave comments/feedback/criticism/interaction, would mean a lot!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Whaddya think? Found what you were looking for?” he called, coming behind him and teasingly resting his chin on the crook of Arthur’s shoulder. Huh. It was bonier than he’d imagined, though the softness of his skin was still undeniable. Who knew someone as prickly as him could smell that nice?</p><p>Man, now he was kind of regretting doing something that bold. The scent of roses clung onto the nape of his neck, surprisingly sweet, making him not want to draw away.</p><p>It wasn’t as if Arthur gave him a choice, though. “Get off me, idiot,” Arthur yelped, springing backwards to face him, the red from earlier not fading from the bridge of his nose. “Are you really that obtuse as to linger for so long before entering your own library?”</p><p>“Naw, I was just...camera guy,” he said, gesturing with a jab of his thumb at the now closed door. “Thought you could, uh, find what you’re looking for easier without a camera following us around.”</p><p>“I see,” he said, with a quirk of his thick eyebrows. “Well, that’s a pleasant surprise. I wasn’t aware you could be so observant.”</p><p>“Hey! Everyone’s teasing me today,” Alfred pouted, folding his arms and stomping his foot, though it wasn’t serious. “There’s no need to be so mean, Artie.”</p><p>“It’s <em>Arthur</em>,” he retorted over his shoulder. Thankfully, the first section where he thought to look was at his height, so he quickly moved forward, Alfred following and standing next to him. “And I have started to look rather successfully, actually.”</p><p>Whilst he was roving over the exquisitely printed titles of the books, the prince watched him instead. Seconds spilled into minutes, and they maintained a peaceful silence, the sandy blond feeling much more in his element, the most confident he’d been since arriving to the palace. The citations and sorting were similar to the library in the holding facility – albeit tiny in comparison to the one he was in now.</p><p>Naturally, Alfred’s mind wandered. Not to the mosaics in the windows, the various paintings hung around the place, or to the wood grain in the various ladders stacked up near the bookcase, or even the faint droplets of spring rain that had started to appear outside, but to his companion.</p><p><em>Oh man, he’s really engrossed in this stuff, </em>Alfred thought to himself as his eyes drifted from the bookshelf to Arthur’s empty right hand, resting comfortably at his side. <em>What if I tried to touch him? </em>His bare fist clenched and unclenched, imagining what his hand would feel like if he held it.</p><p>“Alfred, I don’t think it’s here,” Arthur said apologetically, turning around so that he was facing him. The hand hanging so loosely to his side was now clasped behind his back, making him feel bitterly disappointed staring at where it had been. With a slightly sheepish expression, he spoke. “I’m sorry, but we must keep searching, I suppose.”</p><p>“Oh, uh, yeah, whatever you need,” he said, forcing the corners of his disappointed mouth into a grin. “What’s that you were looking for, Artie?”</p><p>“It’s...rghh,” Arthur huffed, and Alfred fought back a grin as he pushed away at a complaint about the nickname. “You’re just...well. About what I’m searching for, it may seem a little presumptuous, but I wanted to read more about the studies of the properties of time here. I’ve only read about very basic information in Hearts, and I just thought it would be interesting to pursue. ”</p><p>“Is it just time magic that really interests ya?” he asked, over the increasingly loud noises of the rain outside.</p><p>“Not just that one, no.” he said. The two of them glanced outside for a moment before the conversation continued. “I took courses in my holding facility, specialising in healing magic mostly, as well as amplifying magic. In my last year, I took a course on offensive spells and how amplifiers increase the amount of magic one can wield, but that’s about it. I’m not sure they’re allowed to teach us more before we either pursue a degree about it or enlist in the military branch that deals exclusively with offensive magic. Even after ten years, there’s still barely enough manpower to take up these positions.”</p><p>“Cause of the...epidemic thing, yeah,” Alfred replied awkwardly, rubbing his forearm. “At least, I guess it is.”</p><p>“And what better and easier way to keep a flailing populace alive by allowing their children to go into holding facilities? It’s not nearly as expensive as needing to support the entire population, teaches them about the goodwill of the elite, helps fix the brain drain issue, makes it seem like they’re doing something-” Before Arthur could continue his tangent, he paused and observed Alfred’s slightly uncomfortable expression. <em>Ah</em>. He wasn’t really aware of the situation around the holding facilities anyway. There wasn’t a single thing to blame him for, and he could truly have been reprimanded for the speech somewhere else, but in his company he felt...secure. Almost.</p><p>That, in itself, was dangerous, but he’d tormented the poor boy enough – he was clearly not comfortable talking about the epidemic for good reason.. “I apologise. That being said, though, it’s a wonderful opportunity. I’m not sure my family, not to mention many others, would have survived had it not been for their aid.”</p><p>That seemed to perk him up, thankfully. “Really?”</p><p>“Yes, Alfred, really. Without the funds, and one more mouth to feed, things would have been harder. Even if Decidings happen only occasionally, especially with everyone in the four kingdoms still being so young, it’s still an excellent way to get into employment or higher education though we weren’t born into a well to do class. So that’s partly what I’m planning to do afterwards.”</p><p>Alfred didn’t quite understand. “Afterwards?”</p><p>“After the...Deciding...” Arthur trailed off, looking at his frustrated expression. What was that all about? “Pardon? Did I say something wrong, Alfred?”</p><p>“You don’t know whether you’ll be able to do that after this,” Alfred pouted, folding his arms. <em>Those eyebrows furrowing, looking away, your annoyed eyes...Your Highness, they’re strangely...</em></p><p>“What?” Arthur replied hoarsely, him being the one to barely listen this time. What was he thinking? Was there to be no comment on his words about the holding facilities? Or a much deserved reprimand about his tactlessness?</p><p>“After the Deciding, man! You could-” Alfred began to speak enthusiastically, before something came across his mind and he clamped his mouth shut abruptly. “Uh, n-nothing. I didn’t say anything. I think?”</p><p>“What, is there – is there a rule against attending university or enlisting in a mage organisation after a Deciding process?” Arthur said. The prince was <em>not </em>helping very much when it came to alleviating his confusion. “I’m sure there wasn’t anything about it in the rulebook that was distributed to us when we were signing up.”</p><p>“No, no, nothing like that,” he mumbled, waving his hands in front of him whilst Arthur inadvertedly stepped closer. “Really! Heh, it’s nothing, I promise you. Don’t worry about it, Artie!”</p><p>“Now I really am worried, Alfred.”</p><p>“It’s just...it’s just that, you know what happens at the end of a Deciding?”</p><p>Completely oblivious, Arthur answered his simple question. “The Spadian Primary Suit is completed. Correct?”</p><p>“Yeah, but – oh man, this is hopeless,” he sighed. Running his hands through his hair, cowlick bobbing in protest, he turned away for a moment to gather his composure. “I...Arthur, you know that there’s a king and queen, right?”</p><p>“Of course, you dolt, that would be you and whoever wins,” Arthur said. “We all know how it goes.”</p><p>Alfred, red in the face, continued speaking. “Then you know the reason someone would win.”</p><p>“You’d choose them, then the mark of the Spade would appear on their bodies.” He tried not to roll his eyes, as the rain outside increased, making it slightly harder for him to hear. Was he missing something obvious? “How would that interfere with my future studies?”</p><p>“A queen would find it much easier to study within the palace, right?”</p><p>“I would imagine, yes.” Folding his arms, Arthur peered even closer at Alfred, who seemed to be incredibly flustered. Was the prince really that hopeless? He didn’t think him to be so...innocent, though it was possible to tell he hadn’t ever kissed someone, let alone the other, er, thing. “You’re still not answering my question.”</p><p>Another moment passed between them until Alfred fixed him with a gaze. Suddenly, it felt as if he were a deer caught in the headlights – something smouldered in their depths, an intensity the likes of which he himself had never experienced.</p><p>“Artie...Arthur, t-that’s not the point. You’re still here, and I, uh,” he exhaled once, tilting his glasses upwards and pinching the bridge of his nose, “I believe I’ve made my feelings towards you very clear, if that counts for anything, and you told me you don’t dislike my company. So, if things...happen, between the both of us...”</p><p>“What things...” Arthur trailed off, green eyes meeting blue. “...Oh.”</p><p><em>Is he proposing the possibility of me staying here far, far longer than I ever expected to? Is he proposing, flat out? </em>He thought, unexpectedly panicking. It had been so soon, everything was moving so fast, he wasn’t completely sure of his feelings and what they were exactly, though it wasn’t as if he loathed the idea of being at the prince’s side, but-</p><p>“I’m, I’m not saying or doing anything past that, or making you feel as if you have to say stuff,” Alfred stammered, speaking much slower and with a deeper tone than the excited person he’d just learned to deal with, snapping him out of his frantic thoughts. “I’m just saying that you might not want to set your heart on any particular path after the Deciding just yet. That’s...that’s all.”</p><p>Arthur knew he shouldn’t do it, but he stared at him. The sun was barely starting to set now, casting its light against Alfred’s honey blond hair, unfairly framing it in a way that made him want to run his fingers through it. He was sure that this desire wasn’t unusual, not to mention all the other things he’d thought about doing but would never admit to it. He’d been capable of handling it when he wasn’t the one feeling these things, so he should know how to deal with these desires, other than the fact that, well.</p><p>They had never belonged to <em>him</em>.</p><p>“A-Anyway,” Alfred coughed into his fist, pulling them both out of their mortifying thoughts. He <em>couldn’t </em>think something as forbidden as that, not yet, when he wasn’t sure whether Alfred would accept his feelings so late into the competition. “Uh, your book! Heh. I-I think it’s somewhere around there!” he said quickly, feeling as if his heart would burst if Arthur said something that was too cute, as his expression was killing him already. “Come on, let’s go!”</p><p>Not trusting himself to look at the other boy’s reaction, Alfred took off immediately, pushing away the embarrassment of wanting to look more at that mesmerised face of his.</p>
<hr/><p>Beyond the small altercation between the bookshelves, the rest of the encounter had been enjoyable. Once Arthur selected two books that he’d found interesting, Alfred enthusiastically led him to the center of the library, where he’d requested Arthur leave what he’d like to take back to his room on a large mahogany table before jogging off, Arthur’s notepad in his hand. Rinse and repeat. For some bizarre reason, he’d taken it upon himself to find practically everything in the list before they both realised he had no idea how to navigate a library.</p><p>“Alfred, with all due respect,” Arthur said after they’d stumbled into a shelf filled with guides on tourist destinations in Diamonds for some odd reason, “I’m not sure you know how to find things within a library. Didn’t you use it extensively during your education?”</p><p>“Nah, not really,” he replied, sounding a little overwhelmed. “I guess you could say I had a lotta tutors when I was young, then I started military service at sixteen, where I learned stuff in the army, so I didn’t really come here to study much.”</p><p>He couldn't help but smirk, wiping off some of the tension on his brown pants. “Sometimes, I wonder if you studied at all.”</p><p>“Hey! Can’t you see my brilliance?” Alfred protested, but he was grinning in such a way that Arthur wanted to wipe the smile off his face yet preserve it in his memory. “Anyway, I was a super diligent student as a kid!”</p><p>“I can’t, because it’s so bloody blinding. And you know it’s not true,” Arthur snarked, “The entire nation’s had Jack Yao tell them stories about how you always skived off lessons to go horse riding and whatnot.” At his companion’s continued pout, he relented a little. “Though, I will say that you’ve managed at this princely lark very well.”</p><p>“Aw yeah! A compliment from Artie, finally,” Alfred cheered, which earned him a light jab in his firm stomach. “Ow! You’re gonna have to go harder than th – hey, put your hand down, man! Uh, anyway, this is what you wanted to do, so I’m okay not being super knowledgeable compared to you. As, uh, as long as it makes you happy, I’m okay, heh.”</p><p>“I...” Arthur, who had a crass response (and a half hearted hard poke) prepared, was completely blindsided by the honest confession, to the point where his fingers stilled on the spine of the book he was about to peruse. “T-Thank you...I suppose. You don’t need to push yourself so much for my sake...idiot.”</p><p>“Not at all, it’s not pushing when you’re enjoying yourself, yeah?” Alfred said, offering a small thumbs up. “Keep on going, and let me know if you need help in bringing those books back, okay?”</p><p>The next two hours were consumed by Arthur scampering up ladders, Arthur scampering down ladders, Alfred steadying ladders and offering a hand to help him get down (refused every time, of course), putting books on the table and talking a lot about nothing in particular. Talking about himself, and his life prior to the Deciding wasn’t anything easy, but once the tide of conversation changed and Alfred started talking about his horse, his time in the military and how he managed day to day life as a prince that couldn’t yet ascend into kingship, Arthur found himself paying more and more attention to him rather than the crossed out topics on his list.</p><p>Finally, he’d gotten to the last thing, which was a relatively bulky almanac about recent Spadian history, detailing the past hundred years up until the ending of the dully named Virus that had claimed so many lives in the pandemic an odd ten years ago. Arthur noticed Alfred’s eyes linger briefly on the blurb, but he seemed to say nothing about it once they’d come back to the table.</p><p>“Ha ha, do you think a scrawny guy like you can really carry this all back?” They were in front of the table and a faintly crackling fireplace that had barely made its presence known in the hours they’d been in the library. “Guess it can’t be helped! The hero’ll help you take these back.”</p><p>“It’s only a dozen or so, and you are not getting away with calling me scrawny, hero or not!” Arthur exclaimed, though once they started scooping up the books he realised Alfred was incredibly fixated on doing anything but looking at the area around them. Taking a moment to observe their surroundings, he realised that there was a painting perched on top of the fireplace – that of Alfred’s mother, the late Queen Piper, whose life had been taken during the sickness that had swept through the castle.</p><p>Arthur’s body stilled as he watched Alfred continue to collect the books into a small bag that he’d managed to find lying around. He’d rolled up his sleeves and his tie was dangling loosely as he did so, yet there were conflicting emotions on his face – he must have noticed, and wanted to distract himself from his grief.</p><p>Even though Arthur’s parents had both left this world early, he’d been incredibly young when they had and didn’t have the clearest memories of them. Whereas Alfred would be around eight or nine, and he hazily remembered, from an interview or something, that he had been very close to Her Highness when she was still alive. Was that why he hadn’t chosen to wander away, in attempting to distract himself?</p><p>“Alfred?” Arthur murmured softly, causing the other boy to look up at his face, and his face only.</p><p>“Hm? What’s up, Artie?” he asked, tilting up his glasses further up the bridge of his nose, but his cheer had dulled somewhat. “You okay?”</p><p>Arthur swallowed once before replying. “Are you?”</p><p>With an almost imperceptible shake of his head, Alfred swallowed once before breaking their eye contact. The almanac Arthur had been looking at before slipped from his strong hands into the bag, where it made a noise that reverberated around the now silent room. “I, uh, I just...” He took one look at the portrait behind him before he abruptly shied away, confirming his suspicions.</p><p>Gingerly, slowly, as if he were touching a statue, Arthur’s ring finger reached for Alfred’s trembling palm, left dithering after he stopped holding onto the book. Not knowing how to proceed with the backs of their hands facing one another, he moved his hand to the side to try to not alert the prince. But when their knuckles brushed and Arthur daringly slipped three fingers into the space between his thumb and palm and squeezed, all semblance of stealth and propriety went flying out the library windows. The movement, and their closeness, felt audible over the very faint crackling of the fireplace.</p><p>His hand felt refined yet small in Alfred’s larger, more calloused one. He couldn’t help but feel as if it should be different considering their backgrounds, though when in his youth Arthur had been educated in the way of the wealthy and the elite, honing his mind, Alfred had been running off to ride horses and pretending to dig up things in the backyard from what they had just talked about earlier on in the day. A flicker ran between them, yet neither of them seemed to catch the very faint blue sparks that bloomed.</p><p>Whilst the sound of bare skin to skin contact had already sent goosebumps down Arthur’s spine, the actual sensation of his warmth made his heart pound, the sound refracting in his ear drums. He’d experienced his warmth before, but never like <em>this</em>. Alfred looked at where Arthur had slipped his hand into his, and exhaled once, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “A-Arthur?”</p><p>“I just, er, felt you needed some comfort,” Arthur breathed. One finger after the other, Alfred’s hand tightened on his, finishing with a thumb that rested shyly on his knuckles. “And you shouldn’t be alone in your grief.”</p><p>With a noncommittal shrug, Alfred tried to play it off. “It’s just that, it’s been so long,” he mumbled, rubbing his nose. “And I didn’t feel as if it was heroic or princely to still be so torn up about it, so I try not to talk about it in public. Neither of us in the Primary Suit do, either – not just Yao and Matt, but everyone else in the other kingdoms. I guess they weren’t particularly close with Mom or Dad since a lot of them became full members after they...passed, but a lot of it is probably outta respect for Matt and me. So I’m sorry to spring this kinda stuff on you again, but-”</p><p>“Nonsense,” Arthur said, awkwardly giving his hand another squeeze. Everything felt clammy and his spine was prickling, but he couldn’t seem to find the energy to sever their contact. “There’s no need to be so harsh on yourself. For some people, grieving never stops and that’s all right. I appreciate you telling me about it, Alfred. But don’t admonish yourself for missing your mother; I’m sure you loved her dearly, as well as your father.”</p><p>“I still do,” Alfred acknowledged with a dip of his head. “But...what’s ad-moe-nish?”</p><p>“<em>Admonish</em>. Don’t hold yourself to such ridiculous standards and scold yourself for mourning, is what it means,” Arthur chastised, tapping the bottom of his chin like he’d do to the younger holding facility members when he’d help out with classes to earn a little extra money to send home.</p><p>Yet this contact was different, much more distinct – the tip of his finger where they’d touched seemed to tingle once he’d hastily let go, and remained there for a good moment before flitting away. “Keep your chin up, and know that it’s all right to speak about with me. Anyone, really, who will listen with a kind heart.”</p><p>Blinking once, Alfred straightened himself out, gently unclasping his hand from Arthur’s to fix his tie and arrange his shirt. Picking up the bag of books, giving the portrait of his mother one last, long look, he turned to Arthur once more with a grateful smile, eyes soft behind his glasses.</p><p>“Thanks, Arthur.”</p>
<hr/><p>“Your Highness, there was no need, you could have requested me to come downstairs with some aid,” Anna fretted as soon as the two of them walked through Arthur’s door. “I hope it wasn’t that much of an effort.”</p><p>“Not at all, Miss Anna,” Alfred beamed, proudly flexing his right bicep which garnered a snort from Arthur, who didn’t look twice again at his muscles or anything. Not at all. What a foolish suggestion. Absolutely preposterous. “These arms aren’t just for show! I had to escort him as well, so it’s completely okay.”</p><p>Said trip from the library to his room was shadowed by a cameraman who was currently hovering outside his room, but Arthur supposed the cameraman needed at least some footage to air on the news tonight. “Well, if you say so, Your Highness,” Anna said. She curtsied, Arthur following suit with a bow. “My sincere thanks for helping him today.”</p><p>“No worries, it’s a hero’s job! Though I gotta ask, Sir Arthur, did you enjoy my company?” he asked, tilting his head – surely it was a bit of an obvious question, but Arthur could see in his slightly pleading tone that it was a genuine one and not asked solely for his benefit to the cameras. After opening himself up to being so vulnerable, Arthur guessed, Alfred must be worried that he’d inadvertedly frightened him away.</p><p>“Yes, of course. I had an exemplary time, Your Highness,” he answered truthfully, bowing once more, eyes catching the relaxing of the prince’s broad shoulders that he daren’t comment on. “I must once again thank you for assisting me whilst getting all those books. I imagine they will keep me occupied for a very long time.”</p><p>To his surprise, though, Alfred merely winked, pulling down the sleeves of his dress shirt. “That might be true, but I still hope you’ll find some time to spend with me.”</p><p>Arthur stood there, mouth gaping open foolishly, not quite sure how to respond to this incredibly blatant flirtatious remark. Sure, they had been speaking amicably as of late, but he hadn’t been flirted with yet. It took him a few moments to close his undignified mouth – probably too late for the cameras to not capture, but there wasn’t much he could do about that. Hesitantly, he nodded in return.</p><p>“I wouldn’t protest at the thought,” he said, blushing darkly, “Y-Your Highness. I’ll see you at dinner, I suppose?”</p><p>“You betcha,” Alfred smiled, leaving the both of them even more thankful that they’d said a set of goodbyes in the library in private. Just before Arthur could shut the door, though, when there was a mere crack left he leaned in and whispered something in his ear that sent a shiver down his spine at both the sound and his proximity.</p><p>“I haven’t forgot about the birthday, you know! Don’t think I’ll let you off so easily.”</p><p>As quick as a flash, he pulled back and grasped Arthur’s hand gently, now without the added barrier of his gloves. Pressing a kiss into the back of his hand that lasted for a moment too long, he maintained eye contact with him until the door was closed and along with the cameraman, went along to whatever duties they had next now the sun had gone down.</p><p>“...well, Sir Arthur,” Anna said, sounding a little dazed as they sat in the room in silence after he’d left. “I don’t think it would be too overbearing of me to say that your date today went quite well.”</p><p>“No,” Arthur said, cupping the hand that still bore the faint marks of Alfred’s lips to his chest, careful for her to not see that it lingered. As he tilted his hand to push the door closed, the imperceptible sheen that his mouth had left on his skin glistened in the lights of his bedroom. Even if it only lingered for a moment, it still left an unforgettable mark. “No, I don’t think it would.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Act 20</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Michael - Molossia</p><p>Today's Mayuge Day (Eyebrows Day, 三/三) in Japan, so I decided to put this out a bit early for England's celebrations. :)</p><p>please leave comments/feedback/criticism/interaction, would mean a lot!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For Matthew and Alfred, the day started at six in the morning, though that’s where the similarities stopped for the brothers.</p><p>The moment Matthew woke up, the first thing he did was push aside the cloth that covered his bedside drawer, tugged it open, and ran his thumb over Gilbert’s Iron Cross just to check it was there. After letting himself indulge in the thought of the Joker for one more moment, he called for his breakfast whilst he showered and washed his hair. Today’s breakfast was heavier than usual - buttermilk pancakes topped with fresh whipped cream, a tiny pitcher of maple syrup, sausages and coffee. Yao had allowed him to go to town today with Alfred; it would spare poor Carlos yet another trip to enquire about the town hall meeting the merchants of the Inner Circle had apparently organised in preparation for the Meeting.</p><p>Being a full fledged Ace, after all, it was the norm to take full responsibilities in managing not only the Inner Circle of Spades but also the fledgling economic sector, still limping back from the effects of the epidemic. Constantly dispatching his most trusted advisor for all his work was not a good look for citizens dearly wanting to see a more hands on Primary Suit. When breakfast was done and Matthew had calmed his stomach somewhat, he double checked his engagements for the day whilst his clothes were laid out and someone popped in with a yellow envelope. There were three things to do before he left the palace at noon with his brother and the members of the Chosen. As expected, the clothes were intricate for the purpose of a public engagement, gold accents woven to offset the blue, proclaiming to all he saw that he was royal, which was a much appreciated confidence boost.</p><p>The letters, however, were the same as usual. Usually, he got a letter from Diamonds, either from Francis, Matthew being his old protégé, or their Ace, Antonio, and the newest member to complete the Diamonds suit. He usually was the one to write diplomatically, and his business like penmanship was greatly appreciated over a certain someone’s chicken scratch. Coincidentally, Gilbert was currently in residence in Diamonds to assist in his transition, though Matthew suspected that was not to change even with the debate over Joker shuffling that happened every Meeting. A few months ago, there had been talk of Clubs trying to make a case for Gilbert to supervise the training of their future Ace, but from what little he had time for viewing <em>their </em>Deciding it didn’t seem as if they were receiving any form of tutoring for the position. The King of Clubs, Ivan, despite being surrounded by reliable old blood in the form of Elizabeta and her husband Roderich, was still a wild card in terms of politics, as his uncle’s despicable policies had been ushered out when they had been sworn in. Everyone in Cards knew Alfred had wanted to have a Deciding for his queen ever since they’d been little, but Ivan had given no indication of his desire yet jumped into the process so soon after being crowned, so Matthew couldn’t make heads or tails of it.</p><p>No matter, some secrets stayed secrets for a reason, and he knew that more than anyone. With that, Kuma stumbled in, paws ambling through the custom made hole in his door to greet his owner before curling up next to the cool mini fridge he kept in his study and falling back asleep. The snores made a little difficult for Matthew to respond to Antonio’s cheerful letter about their proposed joint speech at the Meeting regarding precious metal trade, but he managed regardless. Once that was over and he made sure Kuma was comfortable, it left him with only one thing to do before he left for the day.</p>
<hr/><p>In Alfred’s case, he slept a little past six thirty, lost in a dream about attempting to catch and eat flying hamburgers. Once he <em>did </em>wake up though (sans hamburgers) he politely asked for a heaping breakfast whilst trying to fix his hair with his hands, dog tags swinging back and forth on his bare chest as he did so. The spring was still way too hot to wear his comfy bear sleepwear, so just boxers did the trick, though he occasionally put on a shirt on if someone came in for the sake of appearances.</p><p>Once his attempts of correcting his appearance had failed, he ate, showered then insisted on changing into his own clothes – his maids (and Yao) had gotten used to the stubbornness since he was a child, and it seemed as if it had finally kicked in that Alfred would not let anyone dress him other than himself. With the same military precision, he brushed his teeth, gave himself a wink in the mirror before looking over the scribbled list of things to do in preparation for the date. He’d asked Michael to help him make sure the cameramen were in the foyer of the castle by twelve thirty, then went down with him to make sure the carriages to take the three of them and his brother, as well as the guards and cameramen were ready, <em>then </em>ran down to speak to Matthias and those that were coming down with him.</p><p>After joking around with them for around twenty minutes whilst making sure they were ready to go, he forced himself to go back early, then he spoke with Avie and Sakura and made sure they got the appropriate safety briefings in time for the trip. Jogging down to the kitchens, where Hero greeted him with a bark and a lot of enthusiastic licks to his cheek, he made sure the space was clear for the two dates he’d have during the weekend before rerouting with his Jack Russell to visit Yao, who’d requested a meeting before he left.</p><p><em>You’re not tired! All in a day’s work for a hero!! </em>he cheered himself on, before realising it hadn’t even hit noon. <em>Thinking like that’s not gonna help. You have to keep cheering yourself on, or pretty much no one will!</em></p>
<hr/><p>“Both you and Matthew are busy today,” he remarked warmly as soon as Alfred knocked on his door. “Come in – ah,” he paused to pet Alfred’s dog, “Good morning – and a good morning to you as well, Hero.”</p><p>“How’s things, Yao? Stuff okay with Meeting prep? Has anything happened near the Drift with the Joker rebels? Anything on the port from Lud?” Alfred babbled in excitement. Usually he wouldn’t be anywhere near this productive in the morning, but today was special.</p><p>“Sit down, first of all,” he chuckled, folding over a corner of whatever he was working on and putting it to the side. “Right. Ludwig did send a message yesterday when you went to sleep early, he says that in lieu of your date today, he’d like to speak with you tomorrow instead.”</p><p>“Yeah, that works for me!”</p><p>“Other than that, nothing too exciting, which is good. Clubs and Diamonds have already discussed their plans for travel, seeing as the Meeting is only two weeks away. The Joker rebels on that island haven't seen much activity yet, but on that topic, I have something I’d like to propose to you.” Alfred leaned forward, using his foot to pull on the leg of his ornate chair, careful to not overdo it. “I know it may seem excessive, but I would like to start preparing some safe rooms, as well as some drills and basic self defense techniques for the Chosen.”</p><p>“I didn’t think of that,” he trailed off, waiting for the Jack’s signature exhale of disapproval, but it didn’t come to his surprise. “It’s a great idea. Just in case the unthinkable happens. D’ya want me to organise that?”</p><p>“You have a lot on your plate as of right now, so no.” Yao said. “Originally, I wanted to ask Katya for a favour and have her arrange the lessons, but I’m concerned that the Chosen won’t be as comfortable with an actual Joker providing aid against those who falsely call themselves Jokers. With that in mind, I asked her to write her own speech about why she should remain with us, at least for the next year, for the new queen, so that frees up some space for me to organise it in time.”</p><p>His tone shifted to an apologetic one as he leaned closer to his liege, patting his shoulder once. “That’s also why I called you here this morning – do you think you can complete the Deciding before the year ends? I would never want to rush you, Alfred, but I would prefer we not make claims that both pressure you and make it so that we can’t meet them.”</p><p>“A...year? That’s not a lot of time,” he mumbled childishly, fiddling with his thumbs.</p><p>“I know you made a promise to your parents,” Yao said, taking in his dismayed reaction. “And there is a lot riding on this Deciding alone. I have confidence, though, that you can do it.”</p><p>“You seem to have more confidence in me than I do myself, and that kinda never happens...”</p><p>“In a way, you can say this ‘kind of never happens’, either.” Getting up, he opened his mouth to speak, then paused. “Alfred, just...”</p><p>“Yao?”</p><p>Looking outside the window in a way that he couldn’t see his expression, he spoke. “It may sound strange of me to say, but I must caution you. I would advise you against making your decision too hastily on an infatuation. The danger with our marks is that they appear based solely on your decision, and not privy to any other party.”</p><p>“Infatuation...?” That hit a little closer to home than it should have. Flickers of the soft sensation of Arthur’s hand in his swam in his head. Had something about it gotten back to Yao?</p><p>“I was notified, briefly, by a cameraman about an incident with you disappearing with a member of the Chosen behind closed doors without much notice.” Yao said, confirming his suspicions and sending his heart plummeting in his stomach. “I know that you appreciate that he wants some privacy, but you must surely understand how these actions may be...interpreted. You must be careful.”</p><p>Alfred hunted for any sort of anger or frustration in his tone, but only came up with a mild disappointment. “Yeah, I see it, Yao. Though, with Arti – Arthur, it wasn’t even super romantic. Or at all. I’m not sure that he...uh, anyway, we haven’t done anything like...that. If that’s what you’re saying.”</p><p>“I know,” Yao reiterated, still not turning towards him, “That you are clever enough to get what I am hinting at. However. With Sir Arthur being from the holding facilities and not being perfectly oriented with what may be considered scandalous within the Inner Circle, I believe that you should not seek to indulge him too far, and rather remind him that as uncomfortable as this is for all of us, it is also for the sake of the people. You know that, more than any of us here in this palace.”</p><p>It shouldn’t have come as a surprise to him, but it was a nasty one nonetheless. Though, as always, what the Jack said made sense – Arthur calling him just Alfred, the fussy nicknames, being so open to talking with him about taboo topics, accepting the little forms of affection he’d inadvertedly gotten used to wanting...</p><p>“Alfred.” He must have turned around whilst he was so deep in thought, because Yao had crouched down to look his liege in his eyes, the deep brown only searching and not piercing. “I suspect I know the answer, but I must ask – do you intend on keeping Sir Arthur around?”</p><p>He didn’t even hesitate. “Yes.” Raising his chin, perhaps a little defiantly than either of them expected, he mounted a question. “Is that gonna be a problem in the long term?”</p><p>“As long as the two of you share a healthy relationship, it will never be a problem, as my only desire is the happiness of you and your twin. However.” Yao’s lips pressed into a thin line before he continued. “The advisorship may seek strife if Sir Arthur – or any Chosen, at all – behaves less than what is expected for a future monarch.”</p><p>Alfred couldn’t help but flinch.</p><p>“If he is unpopular with the public, that would also be a concern. So even though you technically do not have to answer to anyone when you choose the victor, it would do well to remember that this Deciding, even more so than those previously, decides the fate of this kingdom.”</p><p>Perhaps sensing that the mood had been brought down once he had been faced with reality once more, the Jack ruffled his hair, noting with amusement the cowlick that never seemed to calm down. “Chin up, my boy,” he said, smiling a little when Alfred weakly complained as always, wondering if he’d noticed his reaction. “If you truly do care for him, I would never attempt to hold you back. Use both your head and heart in tandem.”</p><p>“Aw, is that one of your super old expressions you used to always tell me and Matt before bed?”</p><p>“They’re old for a <em>reason</em>, because they’re wise,” Yao chastised. Though his mother, the previous Jack of Spades, had taught him to send them down only to relatives, the two princes had grown to become his family throughout the years of raising them. “Now. Best run along, you have an incredibly important date today. I know it sounds hypocritical of me,” he said, pausing to wipe a small crumb off Alfred’s cheek that his secretary hadn’t dare point out, “But try to have fun and not overthink things.”</p><p>The prince’s outstretched arms and exaggerated bottom lip meant one thing, and he was happy to oblige, hugging him with a tight squeeze. “Let’s speak as soon as you’re home and well rested.”</p>
<hr/><p>Being a Joker meant that Katya’s office was only ever temporary.</p><p>Still, after her tenure with Spades had lasted almost four years now, the sight of her modestly decorated office was familiar enough to Matthew to the point where he was unconcerned about entering alone. Knocking once elicited a pleasant, slightly accented ‘come in!’, accompanied by a smile that matched the gentleness of her voice.</p><p>Having been pushed to inherit the position of Joker from her uncle, it was a much needed surprise to the rest of Cards when Joker Katya eagerly took on the position of mediator much more than expected. When he passed away, she gained a reputation quickly for advising her newly crowned brother to open Clubs back up, and was still widely credited for rescuing what seemed like a hopeless foreign relations situation from itself.</p><p>That, of course, couldn’t be gauged simply from her appearance. Wearing traditional Joker colours in the shape of a little black dress coupled with a warm looking jacket that did its best to squirrel away her voluptuous form, coupled with two neat pins that secured away her bangs, she smiled lightly and waved Matthew to her desk.</p><p>“Hello, Matthew,” she said kindly, gesturing a plush armchair next to hers in a way that made the Ace’s shoulders relax. “Thank you for coming to see me today, I know that you are busy.”</p><p>“You are as well, Katya,” he replied. “How are you today?” Once he sat down, he asked the attendant that had come in with Kuma to fetch them some quick refreshments. They made pleasantries about the Meeting and exchanged a few jokes whilst he was taking their order, which all changed the moment the door closed and his footsteps receded into silence.</p><p>That coincided with Matthew’s anticipation reaching its limit. “Katya, I must ask if you’ve...” he whispered behind his gloved hand, leather shoes straining as he leaned forward on his tiptoes.</p><p>In response, Katya pushed back her dark sleeve, blue jewels catching the light of her office within the motion, and pulled out a letter attached with the black seal of a Joker’s missive.</p>
<hr/><p>That night, Arthur had dreamed of him for the first time.</p><p>The first recollection of it started with him wandering through a series of tall hedges, until he came to a simultaneous stop and a realisation – one, that he was stuck in the Spades palace’s garden, and two, that snow was falling in heavy sheets, blanketing everything with its lack of noise.</p><p>Snow in April? Arthur had never been anywhere that had snow this late in the spring; when he still lived in Hearts, snow came in the late months of January and stayed only until February, and Spades, where he was now, got snow from December to March. Perhaps the northernmost kingdom Clubs – where it was rumoured that the highest peaks had snow all year round – would still have snowfall at this time of year, but Arthur hadn’t experienced it.</p><p>That was the first hint that what he was experiencing wasn’t completely real or a memory. The cold, however, very much was, though it was offset by a strange pink tinge lamp shading over his vision. Whilst he still was trying to navigate the now menacing gardens that had entranced him so, the cold kept on seeping into his body, threatening in how it consumed him. Thankfully, he wasn’t wearing his flimsy pajamas, or he would have frozen to death right there. Then again, he wasn’t unfamiliar with it, being exposed to it more than he’d have liked in his childhood. He wasn’t eager to experience it again anytime soon.</p><p>Sadly, whoever bothered to clothe him in wherever he was hadn’t even thought to provide him with anything more than pants, a sweater and a pair of shoes. It wasn’t helping that he couldn’t seem to find his way any closer to the palace or something that he could make out.</p><p><em>Poof</em>. Suddenly, as soon as the thought sat sarcastically in his head, the warmth of a jacket enveloped his shoulders; the second clue that what Arthur was experiencing wasn’t rooted in reality. Instinctively, his hands flew up to his shoulders defensively, feeling the soft fur that gathered at the top. Somehow it felt familiar – he’d never owned something that had fur, as that would be far too expensive, so how could it be something he recognised?</p><p>“Hey, princess, I didn’t know you’d be out here,” an all too familiar voice wafted over his senses, a gentle, unyielding assault in itself. Arms snaked forward, pulling him flush against a muscular chest, sending warmth flooding down from the top of his head down to his shoes. “Honestly, making me worry about you so much...”</p><p>His first instinct, of course, was to push away, yet his body didn’t seem to follow his mind. “Alfred, what-”</p><p>“I said, making me worry about you so much!” his face was so close, his warm breath billowing in his face, seemingly unabashed of their contact. “You’re lucky you’re so cute, or I wouldn’t have come looking for almost two hours for ya! Uh, I mean, that’s not really true, I guess, cause it’s the hero’s job to go looking for his princess, after all!”</p><p>“Pardon? I think you’re looking for the wrong person, if you’re looking for a – your princess,” Arthur asked, his thick eyebrows knitting together in confusion. Was the process over already? Bloody hell, the dolt had somehow done it, despite himself.</p><p>Though, if the Deciding was complete...when had they gotten so close? Arthur knew that the last few members of the Chosen were usually invited to stay on to take places in the court or advisory positions to the newly elected royal, having been educated in the workings of court and administrative life, and there was nothing irrational in that. But for him to be holding him so close...he felt that Alfred would never do it to whomever he’d choose. So what did that mean? Was that the third thing that cemented his suspicion that none of this was real?</p><p>How in the name of the Fates could Alfred, someone who he’d pushed away and tried even harder to ignore his feelings for against his better hopes, someone he thought he couldn’t deserve in a thousand years, someone Arthur knew he couldn’t confess to, be so affectionate with him? Was the nickname a deeper meaning to what he’d initially believed?</p><p>
  <em>“I believe I’ve made my feelings towards you very clear...”</em>
</p><p>Was that what he meant? Arthur thought, remembering their encounter yesterday. Or whatever day their date in the library was compared to whenever this was. He was certain that <em>this</em> interaction with him wasn’t real – but then, that would mean he was willingly dreaming of a future where he was with him. That, in itself, was again, incredibly dangerous. If unchecked, it would lead to...</p><p>“Huh? You said you liked that nickname last time you used it, though,” Alfred sang, wearing his familiar grin that was too smug for his own good, and snapping Arthur out of his frantic thoughts. “And the last time, <em>and </em>the last time, <em>aaaand</em> the last time, a-”</p><p>“Why are you even doing all these things for me?” Arthur said, questioning half to himself and half to Alfred, before the prince could go any further with his teasing. His face was already deep red, something he fiercely told himself that was due to the cold and not whatever was lurking in his heart. “What can I even give you in return?”</p><p><em>If I can somehow find out answers, I might as well, </em>he thought to himself. The cruelty of what he was now certain was a dream stung, yes, but it wouldn’t feel the same when it happened in real life.</p><p>Then again, with the words he’d said in their earlier encounter in the library, he couldn’t help but feel as he could slowly decode the answer to that himself. Yet it did nothing to alleviate his now growing fears.</p><p>He’d never wanted, never imagined himself to be anywhere close to the position of queen; let alone being with someone like Alfred. Someone who, above everything, fought past the grief and hardship of his life to be someone who managed to have the strength to honour tradition and fulfil his duties. Not to mention being adored by the people of Cards, being able to get along with his fellow royals to the point of obvious fondness, and not having to think of loneliness or rejection.</p><p>Even if this were a dream, his conflicting feelings would be the thing that clung to him after he woke up. Of everyone, why would the crown prince of Spades like <em>him</em>? Why someone that came from nothing, and was only propelled to a point where he wouldn’t be a national laughingstock now he’d ended up in this competition? Why someone who, even if he had started to see the prince in a different light, could barely bring himself to confess his feelings? Clamming up behind his walls and not allowing himself to get close to anyone had always been his way. How had six weeks in the palace changed him so radically?</p><p>It would be useless to confess when he’d be sent home after his birthday, anyway, he thought bitterly. Politically, there was nothing to gain, and romantically, well. Alfred had all those other boys and girls to choose from. As determined as he was to stay out of the spotlight, it did not bode well for his far fetched future career in the inner workings of a royal court.</p><p>“Arthur...” His name was said so clearly; so much so that it broke through the pink tinge that had invaded the landscape of his dream, giving way to a sunset that washed itself gently over the sky, as gentle as his hand had been in front of his mother’s portrait. It felt more like a memory than a dream; it made him ache to hear the tenderness in his voice that he knew should be directed to someone more deserving than himself, yet trying to push away his desire. Desperately willing the thick curtains of his bed to come back into peripheral view, he wanted the morning sun to flood back in and interrupt what foolishness his brain had decided to taunt him with, to cut his self dashed hopes away like an open wound.</p><p>He didn’t want this. He <em>couldn’t </em>want this.</p><p>Yet the gardens seemed to shrink, pulling away bushes and trees and blue flowers until Arthur could scarcely feel anything but the other boy’s pounding heartbeat against his shoulder blades. Gently being propelled forward, Arthur turned around to look at his face for the first time. A significant amount of time had seemingly passed; his face was, in his own grudging words, as handsome as ever if not more, though something had clearly taken a toll on him and his features had matured. Whether Alfred himself had, still remained to be seen.</p><p>“Hey...don’t you remember that time you thought I was gonna send you home? I couldn’t scare you like that again, never,” he said passionately, the sunset seeming to follow suit with a flare of red streaking across it, cutting an unnaturally harsh line. “Not to the person that knows a hundred percent how much I hold in my heart for him. Is that why you were trying to avoid me?”</p><p>“No, I-” Arthur stopped midway, trying to force his muddled mind to think, which was near impossible seeing that he was still processing that he was in a dream and Alfred <em>still hadn’t let go</em>. “Alfred, I...why haven’t you let go of someone as troublesome as me yet?”</p><p>
  <em>Right, think about this again, you bugger. It’s currently snowing, which according to Spadian climate would put us around wintertime. If so, at least seven to eight months have passed...what has happened to us in the space of that time? He did say that he wanted the process to be over swiftly, and I understand that he needs to become king soon enough to ensure the stability of the Primary Suit, which would mean that only a handful would be left.</em>
</p><p><em>Which</em>, he realised at the same time as when Alfred buried his face in his shoulder and held him even closer, <em>means that he wouldn’t keep me here if I hadn’t been honest about how I felt.</em></p><p>He prepared to push him off – despite anything, it was improper to be so close, and the intensity of his feelings still made him shudder. Those defensive hands stopped, though, once he started speaking. “Did you change your mind?” he murmured, his voice low and muffled. It was impossible to miss the vulnerability in his voice, reminding Arthur that he was that despite his confidence and bravado, he was still only a boy king. “It’s okay if you did. I’ll let you go if you ask me to.”</p><p>The same fear that had clogged his throat only a few days ago threatened to overwhelm him once more. Was the process not over in the dream after all? “No! No, I just...” he didn’t even know where to put his hands after they’d stopped, “You should stop making so many concessions for me, Alfred, when I can’t make any concessions for you.”</p><p>“I don’t want to force you,” he continued to say, barely listening to Arthur’s words, mirroring his behaviour in a way that terrified him. <em>Is this how he feels when I can’t push myself to be honest, with all the time he’s giving me?</em> “If you wanna go, then you’re free to. It’s okay if you don’t like me back-”</p><p>“I do,” Arthur blurted. In an instant, there seemed as if there was a loud crash in the distance, causing him to whip around, hands instinctively reaching for Alfred’s back that was warm and pliable to the touch.</p><p>But there was no signs of rubble or destruction, just the tauntingly calm sunset and the blue roses of the Spadian gardens, along with the softening of the walls he’d put up around himself. Just him and Alfred, but only one was being honest to one another. Even if it was in a dream, he...</p><p>Once the fear had died down, Arthur closed his eyes, scrunched his toes in his shoes and took a deep, haggard breath before he continued speaking. “I do, Alfred. I l-like you. Not only in a way that is beyond what a friend should, but also in a way that gives me a place in the Deciding. And therefore, in your own heart, but it frightens me. To like someone as untouchable as you, someone that will give anything for his country and those he loves. I-I know this isn’t real,” that was half to Alfred’s dream self, but also half to himself, “But my thoughts are.”</p><p>Alfred, for his part, fell silent, another hint that Arthur was only dreaming. For that reason, he allowed himself to cling onto his warmth, the hallmarks of his first attraction, the small press of his glasses on his neck and the heat emanating from his body, something he’d never expected to want to feel. The fur bunched on the top, the leathery feel, the expensive lining could only mean it was his bomber jacket, making everything worse. It made him want to be close, which was something he loathed yet yearned for at the same time.</p><p>He <em>wanted</em> to be alone. He enjoyed working alone, living alone, being alone. It was how things had always been.</p><p>Yet...</p><p>In that lonely space where only <em>his</em> true feelings existed, Arthur allowed himself to admit that he had feelings for him for the first time.</p>
<hr/><p>“...so yeah! I hope that’s okay with everyone, and I get to see you guys at dinner tonight.”</p><p>Prince Alfred may just have made the greatest speech of his life, and Arthur had completely missed it. Obviously, the lunch itself was delicious and had fully occupied his mind and mouth whilst he was eating it, but it had been a smokescreen of some sorts. When the plates were cleared and there was nothing except his, er, friends, and then only Alfred himself with the Ace and Jack, the details of his dream stormed to the forefront of his thoughts and demanded to be explored again in painful vividness.</p><p>Of course, it wasn't as if he could blurt it out loud, or any sort of social setting where they wouldn't be alone. They’d been together on an official date only yesterday, so that itself would be a long time coming.</p><p>At the same time, Arthur was unsure of how else to deal with the discomfort in his chest that came with coming to such a foreign realisation without sharing it with Alfred directly. There was no other form of contact that wouldn’t be embarrassing or ridiculous, so he settled for simply looking at him during said speech. Unfortunately for him, literally everyone else in the room was doing the same, so in an ironic twist he got what he’d wanted for so long and managed to blend in perfectly.</p><p>Or so he thought.</p><p>Speaking quickly to Alfonso as everyone except Avie and Sakura filed out for their individual activities, Arthur turned around to leave the dining room until he realised, out of the corner of his eye, that Alfred was glancing at him.</p><p>Gingerly, he reciprocated the look, only intending to do so for a second. Yet the ache in his chest grew stronger, the blue eyes that had never really stood out on the television suddenly tugged him nearer, filling him with a longing to be close. The moment when green met blue, the room seemed to disappear in a single motion, leaving both of them breathless.</p><p>They managed to maintain their eye contact for one more moment before he was buffeted by the crowd of Chosen, away from him, the embellished doors closing, the bright view, once illuminated quietly by the chandeliers, was then shut abruptly. Alfred was left with Arthur’s nickname in his throat whilst he started the next set of duties of his day, and Arthur’s lips were still parted in the shape of his name as his day, and his feelings, continued. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Act 21</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>quick reminder: </p><p>Avie - Czechia/Czech Republic<br/>Sakura - nyo!Japan</p><p>please leave comments/feedback/criticism/interaction, would mean a lot!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>To Avie’s pleasant surprise, the crowds were packed with well wishing and and signs from the start. Doing her best to maintain her straight back and clasping together her knees, she was trying her best to stay as composed as her fellow Chosen member was.</p><p>Coming into the competition from a holding facility, she didn’t need to be told twice about her shortcomings when it came to the others who came from a household that clearly could afford to send their kids to a palace and not lose much money from it. It wasn’t as if she detested her parents, it was just that giving her an excellent start in terms of sending her to a holding facility was probably the best thing they could have ever done for her. Being two professors, anyway, they were rarely home.</p><p>Speaking of which, she hadn’t expected to be one of the five that were picked from the holding facility, out of dozens that had applied that year, beating out a bunch of people she was certain had applied just for the chance to win the prince’s heart. Admittedly, Avie had gone against her father’s wishes of forgoing an application to one of the universities in the Inner Circle, not only because the prince was cute but wanting to rise up the social ranking ladder a little more.</p><p>For that reason alone, even if she wouldn’t be a prince’s bride, she could become a lady, hence her serious demeanour. Maybe she’d be okay letting loose in her room with her rooms or the two girls she’d already bonded with, but being presented to the public <em>first</em> out of all the other twenty or so candidates surely meant she was doing something right.</p><p>Adjusting her left braid so it sat neater with her bun, she forced herself to stop wiggling her toes in excitement and continued to try to make small talk with both the prince and Lady Sakura. Her fellow Chosen was even more reserved than she was, hands folded elegantly on her lap and not a strand of hair out of place, jet black hair falling forward in a glossy curtain, slightly hiding her pretty features. She wasn’t immune to looking outside the windows, though, taking in the sights with a small, shy smile. From the few weeks they’d been in the palace, as much disdain as Avie held for the non holding facility members, she couldn’t find a single reason to even remotely dislike her. It might have been her unusually mature demeanour. Or just the fact that she had stood up briefly for the candidates from holding facility. One of those things.</p><p>“Is everyone doing okay?” Prince Alfred asked. He, of course, Avie thought, was completely unfazed, probably having done one of these public outings a thousand times before in his life. That was one of the few things that did not surprise her about him.</p><p>His Highness hadn’t had as much press coverage on television and in the news compared to what she’d expected. She did understand, though, seeing that his parents had died when he was a teenager and he’d gone off to serve in the Spadian military these past three years, so she was initially nervous as to how they were to interact. Thankfully, during their first conversation, she’d brought up how both her parents were archaeology professors, and talked about her own passing interest in the subject. The awkwardness had melted away as they both chattered enthusiastically about the topic – who knew the prince was also into something as dorky as <em>archaeology</em> – and still hadn’t returned since. Probably a by-product of her crush, but she was happy to keep on impressing him.</p><p>“Yes, of course, Your Highness. I mean, you gotta be when you see what’s outside the windows,” she beamed, pointing to the crowds of people outside, who reacted accordingly with louder cheering. “I really didn’t know so many people would be outside today!”</p><p>“It’s awesome, isn’t it?” he replied, grinning. “Though, I guess it’s not such a surprise that everyone wants to come see two wonderful ladies for themselves. A lotta Decidings took place just within the palace, so they might think it’s a super rare occurrence.”</p><p>Nodding enthusiastically, Avie forgot about dislodging her bun and the thousand pins that were threaded with it. Being called a lady like that, she wouldn’t lie that it felt nice. The two of them continued chirping within the carriage, though she couldn’t help but take in Sakura’s maturity once more, from the carefully arranged fingers to her creaseless dress. She’d figured out that the prince might not be completely accustomed to manners, since he had been away in service for such a long while and didn’t seem to have many parental figures, but he was the prince...the guy could pretty much behave how he wanted and it would be okay.</p><p>“It is very kind of them to show up just for us,” she said finally, joining in the energetic waving the two of them had been doing. “I also did not expect this.”</p><p>Suddenly painfully aware of the disheleved pins in her hair and her wrinkled petticoat, Avie sat back down with an exhale and nodded. “You’re so wonderful, Sakura - Lady Sakura!” she blurted, Alfred agreeing with a smile. “You should.”</p><p>“...Thank you, Lady Avie,” she responded haltingly, smiling behind her hand. They guessed she was nervous, as her accent was coming through more than usual. “Thank you, as well, Your Highness. It is just that I have never experienced anything ri – like it.”</p><p>“Is that true? I mean, you’ve lived around the Inner Circle all your life, right?” Alfred watched quietly as the two girls spoke. Initially, he had been worried before he picked them that they wouldn’t get along, as was the fear with taking out more than one person at once, but the conversation they were having seemed to be amicable.</p><p>“Ah...yes, that is true,” Sakura said. “However, I was, um, not allowed outside too much in my studies, and for my debut possibly. I would not say I have much friends as a result.”</p><p>“That’s not true though! At least, not here, you have Emma, and Leon, right? I’ve seen you guys sit around each other all the time, and you stood up for Arthur as well. And I know everyone likes you, holding facility or not! Including me.” she said girlishly, making sure to send a little wink to the prince’s direction, getting the reaction she’d hoped for when he sent a thumbs up her way back.</p><p>Though she wasn’t as experienced in this form of warfare as some of the other boys and girls in the palace, she still liked to plan her moves out beforehand.</p>
<hr/><p>After saying goodbye to Ace Matthew, who’d gotten off earlier at the town hall in the Inner Circle, the three of them set out into the town, with a bevy of guards behind them and the usual cameras. In her life, Sakura had only been to the rural district behind one of the sprawling estates of House Honda during the rare occasions she was allowed to leave, much like her fellow female cousins. It was tradition – male cousins, except for one lucky exception from what her governess had told her, stayed home to study the inner workings of the family business, attend a university and marry well, and female cousins stayed home to both study and prepare for their debut, and marry well. The resources that House Honda had were great enough to the point where it felt as she was already living in the Inner Circle, despite having never visited before her eighteenth birthday.</p><p>Luckily for her, even after turning twenty this February and on the cusp of the age limit for the competition, she’d managed to convince her aunt to allow her to apply for the Deciding after arguing that the chance of winning the prince’s heart bested any opportunity for her planned debut in the Inner Circle, where the higher crust of society dwelled in each kingdom and what the social rank had been named after. Parts of the competition and her obvious lack of privacy were obvious discomforts she had to deal with, but these were inevitable.</p><p>Her hopes that only been helped along by the fact that the prince was practically the picture of what a young man ought to be. Eager to speak his mind but also happy to listen when someone was speaking, bursting with young vitality, incredibly good looking, having the strength to fight against the adversities in his life, and compassionate and sensitive to the needs of his people.</p><p>That was what she was raised to hope for, Sakura thought as she watched His Highness bend down and shake a child’s tiny hand with his forefinger and thumb, laughing along when the child shook back with gusto. All qualities she wished she had, but could only attempt to compensate with her education. Though she sensed she had an advantage in the competition, that was all it was – an advantage. Watching her fellow Chosen, Avie, follow suit with greeting the admirers that had come to see the three of them, it was as if her own reservedness had held her back and threatened to cut away her own prospects. Being sent home this early would only solidify the belief of her benefactors that she should not make her own decisions for herself. Despite everything, she was eager to break into the crust of the competition, but didn’t know <em>how</em>.</p><p>To her surprise, it came in the form of Avie extending a hand to her. “Lady Sakura! I think I’ve found a super fan of yours in here!”</p><p>The other girl, putting it mildly, was confident in a way she could not even hope to be, and she admired her greatly for it. Whilst in the carriage, Sakura desperately wanted to be as open with her and the prince, but had forced herself to sit politely and watch them make cheerful banter. It was even worse with the public around, and the accent she’d retained, but she had to try.</p><p>“T-Thank you, Lady Avie,” she mumbled, pulling her petticoat over her chest as she took the other girl’s hand and moved forward. A child was standing behind the barrier, a tiny sign clutched in her hand, with her name embellished on it. A doodle of her face sat in the bottom corner, and was so lovingly drawn that she could not help but smile.</p><p>“H-Hello, I see you have me on your sign,” Sakura said as she knelt, careful to keep her knees off the gravel. “I am very thankful for that. What is your name?”</p><p>Getting up, Alfred stepped a little to the right so the cameras could capture both members of the Chosen interacting with the public – after all, as much as this was an outing for him, he’d been presented to the public several times already. For both of them, they hadn’t been seen out of the palace, so it was more important that the public started adoring them, too.</p><p>Yao was right, after all – he could barely recall a time where his mentor wasn’t. The public had to love whoever he chose, so this might be the starting point he was hoping for.</p>
<hr/><p>All things considered, the date had been going well. Thankfully, there hadn’t been any altercations with the Joker rebels, or anyone for that matter. Everyone seemed to be having a good time – even the guards that Berwald and Matthias had rounded up were enjoying the sun soaked day. Alfred had asked them to put away the hats since most likely they would be in the background of all the footage, and it was nice to see them relax a little because of it.</p><p>The three of them had decided to continue walking along the partition where their well wishers had been standing by for around an hour, twenty minutes longer than he’d expected, but that was okay. He hadn’t made any promises in terms of who he’d visit with the Chosen that day, so there wasn’t any rush, as long as they were enjoying themselves. Even as he was greeting his subjects, he still kept an eye out for weird movements, which didn’t happen.</p><p>Though once the impromptu meet and greet session had ended, Alfred didn’t really have a solid plan as for what to do next – though, to his pleasant surprised, the girls did. After mentioning that they could take some time off to stop at an eatery, Avie pointed out a café in the map of the district that she was intrigued by, and he gratefully took it, thanking his lucky stars that he indeed hadn’t reserved a space in a restaraunt. They had a brief tea time, in which both girls, neither being locals, eagerly took in the scenery along with him.</p><p>This area in the Inner Circle sat primly near the harbour, and boasted some of the most beautiful architecture to complement the palace perching behind it, gems to embellish the crown jewel, as it was located in one of the closest districts. From the slight hint of blue sea obscured by the tops of colourful spires to the melodic calls of seagulls above their heads as they soared over the pristine townhouses, it was a sight to behold. The cameras, naturally, took great care in both capturing their interactions, as well as the beauty of Spades for the viewers in the other kingdoms to admire.</p><p>After their meal was done, which Alfred insisted on paying the star struck owner for, the sun was still high in the sky and he’d been so occupied by the meal he hadn’t thought of the next attraction to visit. It wasn’t as if he’d been outside the palace much, either, and the only place he knew of in town was Matthias’s husband’s bar, so...</p><p>Thank the Fates that Berwald had sensed his panic, though, because he gruffly suggested the weekend market in the square whilst they were preparing to leave. He personally didn’t know much about the event, but he’d heard Matthew talk about it, so he grabbed the opportunity and ran with it.</p><p>That, pretty much, was how they got to the square. It was around three times the size of the foyer of the palace, and paved with cream pressed bricks that made a pleasant sound when his sleek shoes walked over them. The square was packed to the gills with people’s voices and multi-coloured stalls selling a whole range of things. Maybe they got word of their presence or something earlier on in the day, but the second their group showed up the entire square was in an uproar.</p><p>Alfred couldn’t help but look at his companions as soon as the hubbub seemed at it’s peak. Avie looked a little shocked though she seemed accepting of the attention, but Sakura’s shoulders were shaking and her knuckles had turned completely white. Without thinking, he bent down a little to match her height and gently grasped her shoulders.</p><p>“Lady Sakura, are you okay?” he said, searching her eyes for any sign of discomfort. His dumb decision to not plan out every single detail was really biting him in the ass. Seeing anyone upset whilst they were spending time with him made his stomach twist, to put it lightly.</p><p>Surprisingly, though, she wasn’t bitter towards him or did not pull away. Instead, he heard her audibly swallow before she looked at him. The determination in her brown eyes surprised him, but he thought it was kinda rude to comment on it. In the background, Alfred could hear mutters of concern from the townspeople and the guards, but he needed to ensure that she was okay before anything else happened.</p><p>Taking a deep breath, she shook her hair out of her face, straightened her shoulders again and nodded. “I am all right, Your Highness,” she mumbled, her cheeks pinking. Thankfully, without him realising it, she had nudged him back at a socially acceptable length whilst he was offering her comfort. “Thank you so much for being so kind. It is just that I am not used to company of this many.”</p><p>“If you don’t want to participate, it’s okay, really. I discussed with the guards a few nights before that I’d like to visit the market with you two ladies, but if you’re uncomfortable with it, I understand a hundred percent. I’ll ask some guards to stay with you and check in from time to time-”</p><p>“No, no,” she insisted, her cheeks pinking. “Your Highness has been so kind as to take us outside today. I would like to enjoy it as much as possible.”</p><p>He was acutely aware of the crowd having hushed up. “I’m glad to hear it, Lady Sakura.” Quickly turning around to face Avie, whose face was knotted with concern, he gave her a tiny thumbs up, standing up. Forgetting to brush the invisible dust over his trousers, he managed to calm everyone else down whilst they were looking concernedly at her.</p><p>“Is it because she’s not from around here? Things must be quite different in Hearts.”</p><p>“To be fair though, we did all pretty much pile out this morning once the news broke...”</p><p>“Still can’t believe His Highness would make a trip <em>outside</em>. It’s unusual, but you should have heard my children yell about it when it showed up on the news-”</p><p>“Stop staring at him like that, you’ll grow something!”</p><p>Man, there he went, listening in on what everyone was saying like an dumbass again. “Uh, anyway,” he said, “Let’s take a walk, around, yeah?”</p>
<hr/><p>After an hour, his head was starting to get kinda dizzy. There was a massive amount of things that were for sale or display, ranging from brightly coloured drinks to used books to stuff that had his own face on it, which made the shop owner grin good naturedly when Alfred asked about it with a blush on his face. Yeah, he was a royal and everything, but it was still really embarrassing...</p><p>The atmosphere was mostly exciting though, and it was infectious. From discussing the upcoming Meeting with the merchants, or talking about the Deciding itself with the two teenagers that manned a comic book stall, to watching both Avie and Sakura enjoy their sightseeing, he’d started to let himself relax, sorta. Sure, he still had to be perfect and put together, but the date had been going much better than he’d expected.</p><p>Not to mention there was a lotta food that he wanted to kinda try, but wouldn’t dare to because first of all, he was supposed to be princely and stuff and not gorge on some delicious looking burgers he <em>swore </em>he could smell throughout the entire market, and he was probably not gonna be able to eat dinner. Still, they came to a halt around a sculpture that sat in the middle of the square, depicting a figure that wielded a tome that everyone would recognise – the Fate representing Spades. Avie and Sakura were trying out some chocolate crepes from a stall that they’d just bought, and probably appreciated the place to sit down, since they had been on their feet for hours at this point. Alfred took the opportunity to take Berwald aside to thank him for the suggestion, a moment he made sure the cameras were too busy to capture.</p><p>“No b’g deal,” he muttered, corners of his lips nudging in a corner that greatly resembled Ludwig’s smile grimace. Though he wasn’t wearing his severe hat, he still looked plenty intimidating. “Matthias and I think you’re doing w’ll. Enjoy yourself.”</p><p>“Thanks again, Berwald, I won’t forget this anytime soon,” he said, before returning to the lip of the sculpture, a relatively dignified sitting area. Making small chat with the girls as they sat on the bench and ate, cameras capturing the entire thing to the delight of the stall manager, it was only after the snack had been finished that Avie exchanged a glance with Sakura and spoke.</p><p>“May we explore the marketplace as just the two of us for a bit?” she asked cheerfully, standing up and moving to her side, linking their arms. “I’m sure you have something you wanna see too, Your Highness!”</p><p>“Yes, if that is arl...all right,” Sakura stumbled on her sentence briefly, “We would both like to walk around for a little bit.” She looked a little startled, but when he saw a shy smile appear on her face, he fought back a sigh of a relief. He had been worried that the reserved girl would be uncomfortable when he first asked for her company, but she had done well today, along with Avie.</p><p><em>I haven’t really been paying attention to the map that they gave us at the beginning, but I guess the cameras might be sick of seeing my face too, so... </em>“Yeah, that works for me,” Alfred said brightly. On second thought, her suggestion was a decent one – he was starting to get a little self conscious about the minor pileup him, the Chosen, the guards <em>and </em>the cameras were causing in the narrow walkway. “I’ll meet you two in,” he didn’t really want to dig into his shirt for his clock, so he peered up at the sky, starting to be painted in the orange colours of the sunset. “An hour and a half?”</p><p>At both of them agreeing, for the third time in his day Alfred wasn’t quite sure what to do. After all, his main purpose today was to spend time with both of them, but...</p><p>For a really really stupid moment, a small voice wormed into his head. <em>What if they just don’t want to spend time with you anymore? </em></p><p>Great. This day had gone super well and now he had this to worry about. Stowing away the thought but unable to get rid of it entirely, he walked south to a line of stalls that they hadn’t quite explored; maybe he could recommend something for them, since they had some extra time before they left just in case.</p><p>Suddenly, though, one thought connected to another through the mist of his self doubt and he remembered his conversation with a certain someone earlier on in the week.</p><p>
  <em>“But I’d much rather send that money home to my siblings for the family’s necessities. Every time I visit, it’s painfully obvious to me that I’ve been the luckiest out of all of them to come here. So even if I can’t have something like a teddy bear to myself, it’s minor compared to the hardships my siblings face for me.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I haven’t forgot about the birthday, you know! Don’t think I’ll let you off so easily.”</em>
</p><p><em>The last bit might have been a bit of a lie, I guess, since I haven’t really thought about it after the prep for the date today.</em> he thought as he started walking towards the stall filled with bug eyed stuffed animals, Bu<em>t as a hero, it’s my job to fix that, right?</em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Act 22</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A bit of a long chapter this week, it's a little more than twice the size of my usual chapters. I hope everyone enjoys. :) </p><p>I've been really itching to rewrite this scene in particular! </p><p>Christian - Australia<br/>Cormac - NZ<br/>Allistor - Scotland<br/>Erin - Ireland<br/>Dylan - Northern Ireland</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Arthur’s birthday week had always been a quiet one.</p><p>The first event was him being allowed to visit his siblings at home for a day, mostly the weekend, by the holding facility staff. He was allowed to go the night before, bringing a cake that he’d purchased and stored in the small fridge he shared with Kiku, and had been allocated a bus ticket, since his family lived within the Hearts border.</p><p>By the time he got home, Dylan would usually be asleep, since from all of his siblings, himself included, had always been strict about his bedtime. But the commotion Erin, Cormac, Christian and Allistor would cause hearing Arthur’s provided suitcase trudge up the crude brick path would draw him outside to meet Arthur anyway.</p><p>This year, though, of course he wouldn’t do something as silly as ask to leave the palace just for a visit, so on Monday he got a handmade card, a photo wrapped in tissue and a small parcel.</p>
<hr/><p>“<em>Dear Arthur,</em></p><p><em>Happy eighteenth birthday! We hope you’ll have a wonderful one. Glad to get rid of us for this year?</em>”</p><p><em>No, I’d...much rather be at home with all of you. </em>“Yes, I am.” Arthur muttered underneath his breath, placing down his cup of tea. Anna had come up with the breakfast and the post at the same time, asking why he hadn’t made his way down to the Drawing Room after the hubbub of last night’s date. The moment he saw ‘Arthur’ written in Allistor’s harsh, sloping script, though, he knew he wouldn’t be moving from his spot until he’d finished reading it.</p><p>“<em>Let’s hope this year is better than the last one, and you’ll get settled in wherever you are. Whatever happens and wherever you go...just know that we’ll always support you, no matter what. If you need any of us, just write a letter, or give us a call on the phone. For your sake, as well as the compensation sent to us, we bought a cake from the shop down the corner. Remember the one with the red roof? When Erin and I would take you home from school, and we’d pass it? We took a photo in the front of the store, and before eating it. Cormac thought you could fill your photo frames with one of them.</em>”</p><p>Even with brief, two week visits during Christmas and the summer; it still felt surreal to him. In fact, Arthur barely did remember that aspect of his childhood, but not well enough to the point where he could mention it. The insecurity of not really fitting in melted away, though, when he shelled the photos away from the tissue paper they’d been wrapped in.</p><p>His five siblings were huddled in front of the shop, crowding around Erin, whose mousy brown hair blended in more than usual compared to Allistor’s red, Cormac’s blond and Dylan and Christian’s dark brown, but she was holding out the white box with a smile. Arthur himself couldn’t resist smiling when he saw Dylan’s new backpack, Cormac’s new boots, and what looked like a new jacket for his older siblings. They’d told him that they’d managed to buy some new clothes due to the bonus payment they’d been receiving, but it was something else to actually see it in person.</p><p>The second photo was a picture of them sitting around the table, candles lit on the cake and illuminating the six plates on the table. Dylan, who was sitting in the front seemed to have his hair - which had a knack of curling up at the sides of his face - newly brushed for the occasion, which Arthur knew was a feat because the tyke never seemed to be able to sit down. Though the furniture had changed and everyone had definitely physically grown since the last time Arthur had seen them in December, just by looking at it he could feel the cosiness of his family.</p><p>“<em>Enough about us though. How’s your life in the palace changed from when you since wrote? Since you said you were determined to not celebrate your birthday in that letter two weeks ago, we wanted to at least do a little something for you. Dy drew the cover of the card, and well – the present’s not much, but we hope you’ll like it. See you soon!</em></p><p>
  <em>Lots of love, wee bairn,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Allistor, Erin, Christian, Cormac, Dylan”</em>
</p><p>Though his youngest brother was only around eight, he was a far better artist than Arthur would ever be. Simply put, it was a drawing of all of them and <em>Happy birthday </em>being written as neatly as possible underneath it, Arthur being put in the middle, comically large crown drawn over his comically large eyebrows. They weren’t that thick...right? And what was it with the crown...was Erin being too excited over the Deciding again, or...</p><p>Well. Maybe he shouldn’t look too much into it, since a royal of old was what he had been named after. Arthur let himself gaze fondly at it for a bit longer before he opened up the card to forty five degrees and put it next to the sole empty frame, where the photo with his siblings standing in front of the shop went.</p>
<hr/><p>“So, what were you, like, doing this morning?” Leon was asking at lunch, as soon as they’d all gotten settled. From the corner of his eye, he could see that more than half of the walls in the dining hall, as well as the addition of extra tables at the back of the room had still been left inside – the Meeting <em>was</em> next week, after all. “Everyone was downstairs trying to watch the news, but the segment with their date hasn’t aired yet.”</p><p>“It didn’t air on Sunday?” It wasn’t like Arthur had been quietly paying attention whilst he was reading his books from the library just to see whether Alfred had enjoyed himself and both his fellow Chosen had done well...or anything like that.</p><p>“No, it didn’t. But what were you doing this morning? Was it something important?”</p><p>Pausing for a moment, Arthur realised that they were still largely one of the first people to reconvene for lunch. He could see four people, a friend group that had come in together around two rows down, but that was it.</p><p>Perfect opportunity, then. He figured that he really couldn’t get away with not telling anyone at all.</p><p>“Well. I haven’t told you, but...it’s my birthday this week, I suppose. On the twenty third.” To his relief, though, Leon acted like he usually did and didn’t freak out, simply acknowledging the news with a barely discernable quirk of his eyebrows. “I received a card from my family. That’s...that’s all.”</p><p>“Your birthday? Is there a reason why you kept it to yourself? Surely the prince could do something for you, if you, like, wanted.”</p><p>“I would prefer to avoid a celebration,” Arthur mumbled, rubbing his forearm. Making it up on the spot, he continued. “Truthfully, I’d only wished for a tiny gathering, if I needed to. But Sakura was busy with her date on Saturday, and you know Emma. The whole palace would absolutely know before I even left the room.”</p><p>Snorting once, Leon nodded. “That sounds like her. So...you don’t want me to say anything?”</p><p>“If you don’t mind.”</p><p>“Oh, okay.” With that, the conversation seemed to be over, the two of them returning to their glasses of water. It was only when more people started to file in before Leon exhaled, turned around slightly and spoke in a low voice.</p><p>“Arthur, you’re, like, kidding me, right? I mean, I won’t say anything, but you don’t even want a little gathering? In a room or something?”</p><p>“I...well, I would prefer not to receive all that attention.” Arthur said. Never mind, he <em>was </em>the weird one, after all. “And I’m not sure how it would look, if-”</p><p>“The twenty third, right?” Both of them paused to make sure neither Sakura nor Emma were walking into the room before returning to their fierce whispers. “Surely Prince Alfred would be on a date or something that night, or the one after or something. Like, whatever. Look, we’ll just ask around-”</p><p>“We?!”</p><p>“Why not, sure,” Leon said coolly, undeterred by his friend’s flustered expression. Honestly, Arthur was envious of how easily he hid his emotions. “We’ll just ask around to see if anyone has a date before or after dinner, and we’ll, like, get something done then. Or during the weekend, when everyone’s busy.”</p><p>Realising he probably couldn’t talk him out of this, Arthur conceded with a relaxing of his shoulders. “All right, well. I-I suppose. But <em>please</em>,” Emma and Sakura walked in together, surrounded by a few more people than usual, and the two boys watched them as they made their way to their usual seats. “Don't inform them until we have a time that will work.”</p><p>Leon nodded, and that was that. When the Chosen that had been following them – mostly Sakura now, Arthur had realised – peeled away and the two girls greeted them, he simply told them that his family had written a letter and omitted the early conversation that had taken place.</p><p>“More importantly, though,” Leon said, possibly to deflect Emma from asking more about it, “How was your date, Sakura?”</p><p>“Ah...has the television programme not aired?” she replied, sounding embarrassed. When all three of them shook their heads, she blushed even further. “W-Well, it was...”</p><p>Before she could speak, though, the Primary Suit members walked in and commenced lunch, then the food came in so quickly that there was no opportunity for the usual heady conversation to take place. The elegant melody of forks and spoons, the clinking of glasses that sounded like tuning forks and the hum of gossip that was familiar to his ears now flooded the room.</p><p>It was only when he’d finished his main course that he realised something, raising his face towards the front of the table. Barely daring to breathe, Arthur watched the movement of Alfred’s eyes around the room, slow and easy and without much urgency. At his side, Ace Matthew and Jack Yao were speaking; their heads huddled together like penguins keeping warm for the winter. This movement continued, occasionally his gaze would still on one person, he’d make an expression ranging from relief to conflict, and they’d exchange a few words before moving on. He noticed Alfred pass over Alfonso without much incident, and he chose to interpret it as a good sign for his acquaintance.</p><p>His pecan soup now forgotten, his breathing stilled when he saw them move onto Sakura. Ducking his head, determined not to be caught looking, at the corner of his eye he noticed Alfred smile whilst speaking to the others. Arthur’s shoulders inadvertedly relaxed; this must have meant that Sakura had done well the previous weekend. No stopping on Emma and Leon either, that must have meant something good. That left...</p><p>He came to the realisation at the exact same time it happened. Alfred’s neck tilted slightly when he turned over to look at him, inadvertedly exposing his nape and the silver and gold on it to the light of the chandeliers. Green met blue briefly before Arthur forced himself to break the eye contact he was sure was not meant to be happening, staring at his mostly empty bowl, fighting off the warmth scattering uncomfortably across his cheeks.</p><p>At the same time, though, he kept them at the corner of his view – and wished he hadn’t. With a sinking stomach, he realised that the three of them were discussing him, and he couldn’t see Alfred’s face as it was turned away just so. From the tone of their voices, it didn’t sound as if they were singing his praises, either. Not like he had anything to praise, anyway. All the old fears came rushing back, supplemented only by Arthur biting the inside of his cheek and forcing himself to focus on his cutlery.</p><p>Which, in hindsight, was a foolish move, as the light reflecting off the blue tint of the handle made Arthur think of those eyes that had stared so deeply into his, even if it had only been for a moment. That gaze felt like there was no longer a third of a dining table and a whole television contest between them, instead feeling as if they were the only two people in the room once more. The way that the light had fallen across his neck, exposing his chains, had made him want to place a hand over it, shielding it. But that would require him to get close...</p><p>By the Fates. Had the idiot’s eyes always been so blue? Arthur blinked twice in rapid succession, trying to throw himself off from his foreign thoughts, but it did no good. That stare had never pulled him in with such intensity before, never filled him with the desperation of wanting to be close, never had made him want to look at his own reflection within their depths.</p><p><em>I wanted to look at you more, </em>he thought, before he could stop himself. <em>Did you feel the same as well? </em>He hadn’t wanted to think about what Alfred meant to communicate with that look, but not even his glasses could disguise it – it was a mirror of his own emotions. The same complicated yearning didn’t feel as if it were one sided anymore, but then...</p><p>Speaking with both the Jack and the Ace felt like a bad omen. After all, a Deciding had so many more factors than being attracted to one person – at least, those which the winners flourished in their position instead of driving a kingdom to the ground. From what he’d remembered from the holding facilities and his own interactions with the prince, both of them rightfully would play a massive role in helping him decide his final choice. Both of them were mostly reasonable men, and were the only family after his parents had passed away. If they did not approve of him, then that would be it, he told himself.</p><p>Positioning himself so that he wouldn’t be tempted, he didn’t allow himself to reciprocate his gaze for the rest of the lunch.</p>
<hr/><p>“That’s the person you and Al were talking about in your study, right, Yao?” Matthew said under his breath. Kiku’s friend, Arthur Kirkland, once again. Even in their pre debut days, they hadn’t gotten up to such mischief.</p><p>When Matthew was a newly ascended Ace, he’d been invited to many a lavish party in all four kingdoms and their Inner Circles, since that was the point of expertise. A good way for easy diplomacy, but at the same time, an excellent way to meet new people. Many a royal figure who hadn’t opted for hosting a Deciding, or needed one in the first place, had forged relationships between the overly lavish halls of parlours and mansions, and Matthew was no exception. Except the romantic part.</p><p>He’d made friendships, plenty of which were never touched upon again, but were helpful whilst trying to secure negotiations in another country. One was an enterprising university postgraduate, Carlos, and another one was Kiku of House Honda. Simply put it, he’d helped Matthew with securing their favour in regards to their fishing exports in exchange for his friendship. It had surprised him when he told Gilbert that he would be applying for a Deciding, but it was not a surprise that he was chosen for Hearts, giving his lineage and exemplary academic record.</p><p>But perhaps he shouldn’t fault Alfred’s recklessness when he was keeping such a guarded secret, anyway.</p><p>“Yes,” Yao said, though he didn’t look frustrated nearly as much as Matthew felt. “However, for all we know, his confusion may be an act. Any additional thoughts on him?”</p><p><em>“Well, my friend in the holding facility may behave a little strangely sometimes, but he is a good person,” </em>Kiku had said, during the last summer holiday party they attended together. <em>“I will be sure to introduce you if you ever pay a visit to our facility.”</em></p><p>“No, I haven’t had any reason to doubt him,” Matthew said. “His efforts were exemplary in his studies, and he showed great restraint in the incident with the Inner Circle members. Not to mention, being a candidate from a holding facility, it would be fair to assume that he has less social awareness compared to the others. Other than that, I don’t have anything against him."</p><p>“Other than the incident of his conduct, I don’t see any reason that he shouldn’t be remaining in this competition for awhile,” Yao said, with a pointed look at his distracted brother. “Whether he receives my objections is yet to be seen, depending on his intentions.”</p><p>There was something in his brother’s eyes that seemed strangely defensive. He’d shoved himself into an awkward angle seating wise, the conflict was palpable in his face and somehow, he’d miraculously stopped eating by himself.</p><p>“Do you think it’s a big deal?” he said. “I mean, the situation could be on the tabloids by tonight.”</p><p>“No, no one saw us, and it wasn’t a big thing. Just the damn cameraman who lost out on a bit of stuff for the TV, that’s all,” Alfred said. He adjusted his glasses, though that did nothing to help his stormy mood.</p><p>“Alfred.”</p><p>“<em>Fine</em>. I’ll fix my behaviour. End of story, okay?”</p><p>“Not quite,” Yao said, sighing. “<em>Aiya</em>. Alfred, you do realise it would be prudent to warn Sir Arthur about the implications of his behaviour – or the fact that he may not even be aware that it might be inappropriate, if we are to believe he did not do it on purpose. Or would you rather I have that conversation with him? I’d be sure to keep it as inconspicuous as possible.”</p><p>“Perhaps it won’t be fair if we just warn him,” Matthew said. “We may need to raise the alarm with the other members from the holding facilities.”</p><p>“This isn’t even that serious or anything! Besides, do we really wanna pick out a bunch of people again? That won’t go well.”</p><p>“...you do have a point. Perhaps it would be too hasty if we attempted to create a problem out of nothing, and Sir Arthur is not fully to blame, either, so it would not be right for us to act recklessly.”</p><p>“Maybe the holding facility Chosen wouldn’t have a potential problem with it down the line, if it wasn’t deliberate. It could be that this is just the sole case.”</p><p>Almost as soon as he’d said it though, he wished he could take it back. First, even though he tended to be annoyingly soft spoken anyway, he was worried that his conversation could somehow be picked up and be misinterpreted. Second, he’d just pretty much thrown away an easy method of seguing into a private conversation with Arthur Kirkland. And third, Fates knows how his brother would react.</p><p>No, actually. Alfred’s cheeks reddening behind his glasses was a bonus.</p><p>“I...Yao, I don’t think that’s gonna be needed,” he muttered, diverting his eyes to the space between his and Yao’s chairs. “I don’t think he did it on purpose, and Matt’s right.He’s, well...”</p><p>He risked a glance at him, and Matthew couldn’t help but follow his gaze. Arthur had rotated himself as well, and was speaking to his friends at the table, though it didn’t seem as if he was truly focused on that conversation either.</p><p>“Arti...uh, Arthur was a special one, and neither of the other holding facility members have asked specifically for any privacy like that. And he might not even be doing it intentionally.” Alfred said. He didn’t seem to realise that he was staring at Arthur before Matthew cleared his throat meaningfully and he snapped back, his face getting even redder to the point where he felt as if the cameras could pick it up. “S-So I’ll just talk to him myself, ask him myself. Is that okay?"</p><p>“If you think that conversation will be better delivered by yourself, then by all means.” Yao said. “Though, I must ask – what do you mean by special?” The minuscule quirk at the corner of his lip reminded him of his playful streak.</p><p>“He’s, uh...uh...”</p><p>“Yao!” both the brothers exclaimed, Alfred sounding incredibly flustered and Matthew out of fondness. Around them, though, the combined sounds had gotten the attention of both the cameras and the Chosen, Arthur Kirkland included. He couldn’t help but observe Arthur’s smirk shift abruptly into one of unmistakable shyness, the pink visible from where they sat. No doubt what had caused it was his brother’s fault</p><p>“Oh, you two,” Yao chuckled, taking him from his thoughts. “Apologies, but you know I was just joking around.”</p><p>“Yao, that’s so mean! Y-You can kinda, uh, I dunno if you can tell, but, uh-”</p><p>“I’m sure Alfred’s going through enough stress already, with having all those people flock around him and having to be on camera all the time,” Matthew teased, placing a firm hand on his shoulder, careful to avoid his back. “Maybe it’ll be all right to take it easy on him for once. At the same time, though, you sort of deserve that for all the work for the Meeting he’d conveniently been able to shrug off.”</p><p>“But Matt! You said it was fine-”</p><p>Possibly sensing that he didn’t want to be seen so flustered in front of all the people currently paying attention to him, which was everyone, Yao relented with a smile. “We know you’re trying your best, Alfred,” he said, purposely speaking a little louder so it could be picked up by the cameras as well as giving Matthew a space to (reluctantly) chip in. “And I’m sure everyone does as well.”</p><p>Predictably, this garnered a round of applause from the Chosen, Arthur Kirkland included. After that was over and the plates were being cleared away for dessert, Yao motioned for the brothers to move closer to whisper again, taking advantage of the moment where there wasn’t food to get Alfred’s attention.</p><p>“Are you sure it’s all right? If you don’t want to have this conversation with him, since I imagine it’ll be unpleasant.”</p><p>“No, it’s okay, I promise,” he replied. “So, I just have to tell him about the whole not being alone where no one can see us thing?”</p><p>“That mostly, unless it’s for a very good reason that you’ve told us about beforehand. Not to mention the whole keeping affection mostly in private – oh, you haven’t done anything like that? Not with-”</p><p>A small shake of his head, cowlick bobbing. “Well, that’s good of you. Any tips to add, Matthew?”</p><p><em>Since all my tips are about hiding a romantic relationship, no, not really, </em>Matthew thought, but didn’t let it show on his face. “I guess there’s one, and that’s not having too much bodily contact before you’ve really narrowed it down. Might not be the best press.”</p><p>Alfred looked confused, which was an expression he’d seen many times over to his chagrin. “Bo-dee-ly contact?"</p><p>“<em>Body </em>contact, okay. You know. Hugging. Just, you know.” Quickly remembering that he himself was crap at this, he started improvising. “Hand holding. Whatever. Just use your common sense, eh?”</p><p>“H-Hand holding...?"</p><p>“Yeah.” <em>What was so hard to get about that? You’re never really embarrassed about these things, anyway.</em> “Hand holding. Things like that.”</p><p>His brother looked as if he wanted to say something, but he shut his mouth and his brain up as soon as the dessert arrived, which was par for the course. Thankfully, he remembered to at least give a thumbs up to both him and Yao before the matter was resolved, at least for now.</p>
<hr/><p>On Wednesday, Arthur’s birthday, he received a note from the Jack to meet him at his office at noon.</p><p>Naturally, a thousand questions raced through his head, but the prevailing thought was confusion. The prince had been busy these few days with dates and other engagements, and it didn’t seem as if anything bad had occurred over the conversation at lunch on Monday. At least, Arthur hadn’t been part of the three people that had been sent home on that day, so he figured that it was a false alarm of some sort.</p><p>It felt as if his mind had been stuck in that dining room, though, and with those blue eyes. He’d only been able to read one book throughout these two days, and send a long letter back to his family as thanks, but nothing much afterwards. He and Leon had agreed to put it off during the weekend, which was typically when Alfred would be taking out more people and keeping everyone else busy to do any sort of celebration.</p><p>Yao’s expression was pleasant as soon as Arthur knocked on his door, ten minutes to noon, and with a bow. “Your Highness, I received your note?”</p><p>“Yes, Sir Arthur, do sit down, and thank you for being early. There’s no need to worry,” he said, taking in Arthur’s hesitant footsteps, “I have a pleasant surprise from you. Your friend, Kiku Honda, has requested to speak to you today. It is your birthday, correct?”</p><p>“Oh – but how did you kn-”</p><p>“Your birthday’s on your files from the holding facility, if that’s what you were enquiring about,” Yao said, which made Arthur blanch. “That ties in, coincidentally, with the other thing I was requested to tell you.”</p><p>Never mind, the feeling of messing up was returning full force. “Y-Yes, Your Highness?”</p><p>Jack Yao’s face gave nothing away, and he held out a small blue envelope, which had his name written on it. “Prince Alfred has requested your presence in your room tonight. Simply put, he wishes to celebrate your birthday with you. He has also told me that you do not wish to have a public celebration, either.”</p><p>“Yes, Your Highness,” Arthur said dumbly, not quite sure what else to say. “Thank...thank you for notifying me.” There was a pause before he awkwardly took the letter from the Jack’s elegant hand.</p><p>“Not wanting to have a public celebration? Most extraordinary,” he said studying Arthur’s face, his tone quiet as he did so. Pausing slightly on the eyebrows, he spoke after a few moments. “Can I ask, Sir Arthur – is there a reason why you are so inclined to privacy?”</p><p>That was a loaded question if Arthur ever heard one. Happy birthday to him, he supposed. “Your Highness, erm...there isn’t a particular reason, no,” he said. “Possibly it is just that I am unused to the spotlight, compared to most of the other Chosen here. I don’t have much to offer to the palace in terms of rank or birth, either.”</p><p>“So you’d say that your insecurities are to blame.”</p><p>Arthur winced. “I suppose, Your Highness,” he said, biting his lip. “I apologise if this has caused you inconvenience.”</p><p>His face was completely unreadable, as he gingerly raised his head to meet his gaze. “Surely you are aware of the nature of this competition. If anything, you may find it more prudent to apologise to Prince Alfred if you find that an apology is warranted. Simply put, I hope that you have not put him in a place of discomfort regarding extra privacy.”</p><p>“I don’t...believe I have done something of that nature, Your Highness,” he said. Wracking his brain for any sort of incident, he noted the Jack’s unflinching expression. “Has there been a...please, let me know if there is something that I have done wrong.”</p><p>Strangely, an emotion akin to relief settled on his face. “Well, it is not my place to say,” he said, sighing once. “I will not attempt to dissuade you from pursuing a less publicized relationship with Prince Alfred. If <em>both </em>of you are willing, of course, I have no objection.”</p><p>“S-So...you’re not removing me from the competition?”</p><p>With a shake of his head, Yao folded over Arthur’s hand that was encasing the note, stopping the shivering he didn’t want to know was happening. “No. That would be inappropriate. I may have my feelings about each Chosen member, but it is not my Deciding, therefore every final decision must be his. This conversation, as well, is now out of my scope. However, I do expect you to attempt to fit into a life of a Chosen. Within the walls of the castle, you are no longer a holding facility student. Simply put it, you were chosen by Prince Alfred for a reason, and I expect you to honour it.”</p><p>“Yes, Your Highness,” Arthur replied, bowing his head, feeling the uncomfortable prickliness of shame crawl up his back. “I-I will.”</p><p>“Excellent. Now. With that out of the way, it is exceptionally rare, to have two people in different Decidings to know one another, though, however King Ludwig was happy to grant the favour. Don’t worry, I have already extended your thanks to him – unless you do not want to speak to your friend?”</p><p>“No, of course I’d like to speak to him,” Arthur said, a little too quickly. Acting so childishly excited, after being scolded so severely, was not the best thing to do in front of the literal Jack of Spades. “T-That is, if he’s even available right now.”</p><p>“He’s been waiting. Please, follow me.”</p><p>Making sure he had left the room already, Yao paused before checking off the first of two things on his list regarding him specifically. The second was, well...to allow him and Alfred some privacy in his room. Almost immediately when Alfred made the request, he’d pushed him for answers, but he’d simply replied with saying that it was his birthday. That was understandable, but they’d agreed to have an extra pair of guards outside his room just in case. He trusted Alfred above all, but there wasn’t such a thing as being too careful.</p><p>Placing down his pen, he followed Arthur into the small room where his port was located. A second after walking out, though, he realised he’d forgotten to bring his manual.</p>
<hr/><p>“Sir Arthur, do you know how to use the port?” the Jack asked, a few moments after he entered the room. The room was lit mostly naturally, and had two stools, but nothing else, giving off an unusually unwelcoming feel.</p><p>“No, Your Highness, there was one in our holding facility but us students were never allowed to use it without someone using it for us.”</p><p>“Oh, I see,” he sounded dismayed. Wondering whether he’d screwed up again, Arthur watched quietly as he walked close to the window and flicked through a small pamphlet. “Not to worry, I’m just not very good with these devices with neither the prince nor Ace to aid me. One moment.”</p><p>Awkwardly, Arthur found a seat on the stool and remained there whilst the Jack attempted to fiddle with the technology.</p><p>After a few minutes, though, and a few screens that were somehow familiar to Arthur as part of his holding facility days, a surprisingly large video of Kiku appeared on the screen. He couldn’t help but gape in excitement. Yes, he’d used a port before, but it was always to watch the news or during lessons, never to use it in a call.</p><p>“You have an hour, Sir Arthur,” Yao said.</p><p>“Thank you, Your Highness.” Nodding once before closing the door, he left him to talk with Kiku as if nothing had changed.</p>
<hr/><p>Tie – had to be blue – check. Clean shirt, check. Shined shoes, check. Combed hair, check. Well, kinda. His cowlick, like always, wouldn’t stay still.</p><p>Nervously eyeing the stuffed bear in the corner of the room, Alfred took a deep breath. It was around seven forty, twenty minutes before he was due to meet Arthur, but he was still replaying the conversation he had with Yao shortly after dinner had ended.</p><p>For once, he’d been avoiding a certain someone during dinner. He wasn’t sure if Arthur was doing it on purpose because he’d written him a note, or because he hadn’t talked to him in the past few days, but he could feel that gaze on him, which he hadn’t dared to return. He knew if he watched those green eyes, he couldn’t resist looking back...</p><p><em>“I spoke with him earlier today,” </em>Yao had said right as the butlers were removing their plates, <em>“Matthew, you were correct. He does not appear to be acutely aware of the implications of his actions.”</em></p><p>Alfred had remembered being worried, so quickly to the point where even he couldn't quite understand why. <em>“Did you say anything that-”</em></p><p><em>“Right, that’s a relief.”</em> Matthew had said, effectively cut him off and jabbing him with his foot, ignoring his yelp. <em>“Is there anything else Al needs to know?”</em></p><p>
  <em>“None. As promised, I do not have any objections to him remaining here, for now. I’ve also requested Berwald and Emil to come stand with you, Alfred. If need be. As you know, the cameras are forbidden from entering that floor as always, so you should have no trouble with them.”</em>
</p><p>Once again, Yao and Matthew had stuck out their necks for his sake. He just needed to be a hero about it, and hopefully the gift giving would go well.</p><p>Not to mention, the thing he’d been doing with his pillow...looking guiltily at it, Alfred realised he didn’t want to talk about his practise to anyone ever. Oh, it was such a long shot and really stupid of him, but he <em>needed </em>the practise if for some reason the Fates were kind, and all the signs he’d been seeing were what he thought they were.</p><p>It wasn’t like he was super eager to spend time with Arthur or anything; too much time had passed since they had been alone with one another. He was longing to be in his company – he wouldn’t admit it to anyone else, though. There were so many things he’d wanted to ask, such as what Yao had told him, how the rest of his day had been, what he was doing, whether he felt the same...</p><p>Never mind, it was time to go, anyway. Picking up the stuffed bear carefully, Alfred walked to the corner of his room, pressed his palm to one of several secret entrances in the palace where he and the rest of the Primary Suit could travel discreetly, whispered a familiar spell, unlocked it, and entered.</p><p>When he emerged from the tunnel next to one of his favourite hangouts, the palace observatory, he walked down a flight of stairs and then went left two metres to where the boys’ rooms were located. It was as he’d planned – most of them were in the Drawing Room immediately after dinner, but from the faint light seeping from Arthur’s door, he’d accepted his invitation after all.</p><p>Awkwardly balancing his present on his hip, he waved to Berwald and Emil, who had been situated outside as promised, then knocked twice.</p><p>A small pause, then his face peeked outside of the door. Like always, the first thought that registered in his head was <em>pretty eyes</em>. Naturally, his eyes moved to the thick eyebrows, then the barely visible freckles, then to his nose, then his l-</p><p>“Alfred?” his voice was gentler than expected. “Are you here to see me?”</p>
<hr/><p>“Here ya go!” Before Arthur could even utter another word past that question, Alfred was brandishing a bear at him.</p><p>Not a small one that you could cup within your palms, mind you. It was light brown with a huge blue tartan ribbon tied around it with gentle eyes and a sweet mouth, and a pale tummy with fur that was incredibly soft to touch. Arthur could barely even <em>see </em>the other boy behind all the stuffing.</p><p>Oh, he didn’t want to admit it, but he was absolutely smitten. W-with the stuffed animal, of course, not the prince...</p><p>But when he saw Alfred’s excited beam as Arthur took the present from him and noticed that the bear’s head fit perfectly in the crook of his neck, Arthur realised that once again, he couldn’t lie to himself any longer.</p><p>“Whaddya think, Artie? I know getting a bear is kinda traditional,” Alfred continued to babble, tilting his glasses energetically up the bridge of his nose. “But he looked so sweet in the stall where I saw the bear that I had to get him for you!”</p><p>“Wait, you...went to the stalls...but weren’t you busy that day? And the cameras...”</p><p>Alfred’s mouth – there was something so pleasant about it, Arthur thought – was about to speak, though he seemed to peek to the sides. With a jolt, he realised that they were not alone, though he recognised Leon’s friend. With a winning smile, he gestured for Arthur to close the door, which he did, leaving them alone once again.</p><p>That seemed to pause him in his tracks, and painted an embarrassed smile on the golden blond’s face. “So! Aah...yeah, kinda...you see, with the others, I gave them an hour of free time, so we kinda went our separate ways, and the cameras went with them, heh. T-Then I went to one of the stalls and they had a big bunch of these on display, so I – Artie, woah!”</p><p>Just standing there would not even begin to convey Arthur’s bliss.</p><p>Recklessly and without abandon, he threw his arms around Alfred’s neck, one hand clutching onto the bear and one squeezing their bodies awkwardly together. It was all elbows and lean chests and muscles, sharp edges and unspoken feelings, but for some odd reason it worked.</p><p>His fingers gingerly laid themselves on his back whilst his other hand removed itself from its position on top of his palm and awkwardly went to touch the exposed nape of his neck, tugging them closer to breaking the invisible boundary.</p><p>Arthur didn’t know how to give hugs. He didn’t even <em>give </em>them, at all, to anyone except his family. Maybe Kiku, a few times. Much less to someone he would have only dared to dream he would be standing in such close proximity to.</p><p>Just thinking about what the prince had done had completely severed all acquaintance with his common sense.</p><p>“I...umm...thank you,” Arthur stammered, unable to disguise the deep flush that had made its presence known on his face. “Alfred, I...”</p><p>
  <em>Be honest. Be bloody honest, or you’ll regret it. Remember what the Jack said.</em>
</p><p>“Happy birthday,” Alfred replied tenderly, resting his chin on Arthur’s shoulder, dusting away all his thoughts in the process. “It’s kinda my way of apologising for things, if that makes sense.”</p><p>“No, well. Though I must ask, why would you be apologising? That part doesn’t make sense.”</p><p>“I, uh...” it was his turn to go pink, “I couldn’t get you out of my head, even when I was trying to. And I wasn’t brave enough to explain why, other than the fact that I was scared. <em>And</em>,” he said, emphasizing the repeated use of the word like he had in Arthur’s dream, “It’s your birthday today. So I didn’t want to ruin it for you. But you deserve to know why I’ve been avoiding you these two days. I kinda didn’t want to do it, but you know this process, and everything.”</p><p>Pulling backwards slightly, he looked at his face. “Yao – Jack Yao, at least, kinda picked up on the encounter with the library. He told me that he spoke to you a bit before, yeah?”<br/>
<br/>
“Yes, he spoke to me earlier.”</p><p>“Yeah. Since, you know. It was against protocol and stuff, but the fact that we were alone behind close doors is inappropriate, at least here.” Pausing a little at Arthur’s bewildered expression, he grinned sheepishly. “Turns out neither of us was pretty good at the undertone thing.”</p><p>“But we were on an official date – what would be so inappropriate about privacy?” he said, adjusting the bear in his arms once more. Fates. So much <em>fur</em>.</p><p>“They couldn’t see what we were doing. So, if the cameraman hadn’t been nice enough to not talk, then it might have caused a lot of news. Until the process ends, this kinda stuff is ripe for the tabloid papers.”</p><p>“Oh, I see.” Arthur said. “I must apologise for that, then. I’ll be careful next time. I...I do see the implications of what may have occurred.”</p><p>“It’s the whole competition thingy, so, yeah. Thanks for understanding. It’s not really that big of a deal, anyway, and I kinda let it happen, so don’t let it get you down too much, ‘kay?”</p><p>Arthur fought back a smirk, hoping it would help fix the heat in his cheeks. “All right, Alfred. Though, I must ask...why would you do something like that if you knew it might cause scandal?”</p><p>“Huh? Aah...ha ha...ha...I guess it was because there was just one cameraman that day and no one else,” Alfred suddenly sounded incredibly nervous, and Arthur couldn’t put a pin in why. “A-Anyway! Let’s try not to be all alone together in a place where no one can see us again, yeah? I’d like to think we both kinda don’t want that.”</p><p>“No, I don’t think we do,” Arthur said, laughing a little. To his surprise, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Alfred blushing. “What’s wrong?”</p><p>“Nothing, it’s just...it’s really weird to see such a grumpy old man be so happy about this stuff.”</p><p>“You-”</p><p>“Just kidding,” Alfred grinned, unequivocally stealing Arthur’s heart in the process. “I like you even more when you’re smiling. It’s not so bad to want to see you like that more, right?”</p><p>“Well...I suppose it wouldn’t be,” Arthur said, pushing his chin into the crook of the bear’s neck, though he wished it was Alfred’s instead. That thought, coupled with what he was about to say, made his cheeks feel much hotter than he’d like them to. “But...”</p><p>Alfred leaned closer, so close that he could smell the sandalwood that lingered in his scent and feel his warmth radiating from him, the red lingering on every centimetre of his cheeks. “Yeah?”</p><p>“I’d only...I’d only want to do that for you,” he breathed. In that moment, he allowed himself to look into Alfred’s eyes, looking at his own reflection within them. Hearing the sharp inhale of breath, seeing the way his lips had parted, the sound of his own heart racing in his chest confirmed both his greatest hope and his deepest fear.</p><p>“Arthur...” Alfred whispered, barely noticing when his glasses slid further down the bridge of his nose. The bear slackened in Arthur’s arm as he moved closer, and his voice was shaking when he spoke. “Does that mean-”</p><p>“Yes, Alfred, I...” he said faintly. Expecting Alfred to let out an ear piercing yelp of excitement like he usually did, he braced himself, but no silly heroic shouting or hand gestures appeared. Once more, the room seemed to fall away, his world growing just a little larger to accommodate the prince. “Yes.”</p><p>
  <em>“Simply put it, you were chosen by Prince Alfred for a reason, and I expect you to honour it.”</em>
</p><p>His feelings had grown beyond obligation and fondness, Arthur realised as he placed down the bear on his desk, took a deep breath and moved forward so Alfred took up most of his peripheral vision. Slowly, as if touching a lacquered instrument, Arthur watched him slide his gloved hand across his waist then tug him closer, gentle yet not without force.</p><p>“Is it fun for you, Your Highness, to understand that you make so many people desperately adore you? You’ve claimed another victim,” he said, clumsily attempting to follow suit with the same confidence. His right hand, followed by the left, enclosed the small of his back, sensing his chains, sealing his fate. “I would appreciate it if you addressed this matter immediately.”</p><p>“I dunno what you mean,” he teased right back, “But Artie, if you have any objections now, tell me.”</p><p><em>Is he going to...oh, Fates</em>, Arthur thought, swallowing audibly. The light of his room seemed to soften to a balmy sunset, melting away everything else except the boy he was holding. All of a sudden, he could acutely feel Alfred’s calloused hands on his body barely covered by his gloves, the slight press of their shoes so close together, the heat and muscle of his chest, the cold nudge of his glasses, the sensation of their noses brushing together, and everything in between.</p><p>He was so close, so tantalisingly close, but Arthur made himself wait, forcing himself to hold onto the stability of his fear. He saw the delicate flutter of his eyelashes against his glasses and how they caught the light, his vulnerability making it impossible for him to think clearly.</p><p>Letting his fingers, one by one, brush against where his honey blond hair met the back of his neck, Arthur savoured what he knew for another heartbeat before closing his eyes and falling into him, pressing his own lips to his.</p><p>Much like the rest of his body, Alfred’s lips were warm to the touch, so much so that Arthur felt as if he were about to be consumed by the temperature of a star if he were to touch him. No amount of words from the romantic novels he’d so recklessly consumed could possibly begin to describe him, the crown prince, the object of his unforeseen affections, his Alfred...</p><p>It was by no means perfect, but when he heard his little sigh of relief, none of it mattered, and he allowed himself to melt into him, forever altering who he was.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Please leave comments/feedback/criticism/interaction, would mean a lot! I'd especially love to know your thoughts on the kiss, I haven't had any experience with it really so please let me know what you think. :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Act 23</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thank you so much for 1,000 hits ;_; it means so much holy shit.</p><p>hey! so the biggest change you may have noticed is the updated blurb - that blurb was the only thing remaining from the original story in 2017. i gave it a read and realised it had to go.</p><p>i tried to make myself write a shorter chapter this time, around 3k words, but as you can see it did not work out, lol. hope you enjoy nonetheless :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Breaking apart, gasping, Alfred rested his forehead’s on Arthur’s before looking into his eyes. Fates, the kiss really <em>had </em>lasted far too long, but neither of them truly minded. Green met blue once more, and he felt as if his breath had been taken away even after he’d just regained it. He could feel the moisture on his mouth, a slight mark from when Alfred’s glasses had pressed into his face, parts of his skin set alight from where he was still holding him.</p><p>Alfred, on the other hand, could barely process anything other than the whistling of the wind in his ears and Arthur’s hands resting on his chest. His fingers were slender, and he watched his vulnerable hands shift on his shirt as they parted. Taking in the milky white colour of his throat, and how his chest moved in tandem with his Adam’s apple, he had a sudden, embarrassing desire to kiss him again.</p><p>Thank whatever foresight he had to make sure they were alone.</p><p>Leaning forward once more, he brushed his nose against Arthur’s, carefully watching his face to see whether he pulled away or was reluctant. To his relief, though, he didn’t look upset or flinch, but didn’t move to reciprocate the action or did anything else but stand there.</p><p>That, in itself, made Alfred worry. “Arthur?” he murmured, doing his best to stop his voice from shaking, which failed. “Everything okay?”</p><p>“At least let me catch my breath, Your Highness,” Arthur whispered, his voice ragged. To his great relief, though, a hint of a smile was pulling at his mouth. That made him want to grin so hard that he didn’t even whine about the fact that he used his honourific instead of his name. “It hasn’t even been a minute. Please, allow me a margin of error. Er. Did you intend on televising this? Or at least, this ‘first’? I...that was...was that your first kiss? It didn’t-”</p><p>“What’s with all these weirdo questions?” Perhaps he was embarrassed, though Arthur couldn’t perfectly read him. “A-Anyway, I’d say I didn’t even get that far in thinking about it, I’m not good at planning stuff as you know.” Irritatingly, he had now turned away, refusing to meet his gaze. “When I came to celebrate, I...didn’t even think about it until you gave me that answer, but I’ve been hoping to get closer to you for a long time. That’s all. Not gonna lie, I didn’t expect you to...do it back.”</p><p>“Oh,” Arthur said, and that could easily have been the end of that. He couldn’t see the prince’s expression, and the conversation had been cut short so quickly – what else was there to speak about it? Did he regret it already?</p><p>Too much, actually, he realised. The prince, not to mention the future king of Spades, had made such a case for him, for being in his company, for not forcing his feelings onto him or making him feel like he <em>had </em>to like him in the first place. If he didn’t so blatantly wear his heart on his sleeve, Arthur would have doubted his intentions, but too bad for the both of him, he did.</p><p>“Alfred,” he said, mustering up the courage to edge his fingers and place them underneath his chin. Alfred jolted abruptly, eyes widening behind his glasses, causing Arthur’s fingers to rest awkwardly on his jawline. “...Er. Apologies.”</p><p>“No, I, uh, my bad,” he stuttered. “What’s up, Artie?”</p><p>“It’s just that you were looking away, and you know how you feel about me when I do the same. It’s not very befitting of you to do so, correct? Is there something you’re thinking about?”</p><p>“It’s not bee-fitting for you to keep on touching my face like that, right?” he said quickly, teasing in a way that for some reason made him feel off. “Heh.”</p><p>Arthur could feel his mortification swell like a vein throbbing on his forehead. “Idiot, that’s not the point – ah, I probably shouldn’t ask you something like that if you’re not able to handle it with seriousness.” <em>You just admitted to giving me your first kiss in the competition, but you can’t even be serious regarding the scruples of our relationship?</em></p><p>“So why aren’t you letting go! H-Hey, don't actually let go of me, wait,” Alfred started teasing, causing the prickly feeling in his chest to magnify, but quickly stopped when Arthur detached away from him with a huff. “Please, Artie – Arthur, don’t...”</p><p>Well. That tone of voice was slightly new, he realised. Turning back, Arthur saw an increased vulnerability in his eyes, mirroring his own. What did <em>Alfred</em> have to fear, after all? He was just Arthur Kirkland, someone without connections or fame, just a face in the crowd. At least, that’s what he’d like to believe, that if he was inadequate – which he was – that none of them would get hurt.</p><p>But the evidence that it was a convenient lie was standing right in front of him.</p><p><em>I didn’t mean for things to go wrong...</em>the two of them thought, but no sounds came out of their mouths, forcing them to stand in awkward silence.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” they both blurted out at the same time instead, leaving them in an even more awkward place than they had been.</p><p>“My bad, I just...kinda clam up with these things, you know,” Alfred said. At least, he was looking at Arthur now. <em>No, I don’t</em>. <em>I’ve scarcely had seven weeks to meet you, yet I am more affectionate than I’d ever expect to be with anyone, and I cannot comprehend why.</em> “Being left alone like that...I’m not good with it.”</p><p>That, Arthur <em>did </em>know, but he didn’t push him farther on it. None of the copious amounts of romantic novels he’d borrowed from the public library in town back when he was still in his holding facility did any good in this situation. “I apologise. I’m not very good with affairs of the heart. I’m...”</p><p>
  <em>Be honest. Be honest with why you’re not. Why you don’t believe, even with his affection, that you could ever win this thing.</em>
</p><p>Arthur clamped his mind shut. There was absolutely no way he could say it. “It was foolish of me to expect an answer regarding...” His mouth stilled when he observed Alfred’s conflicted expression. “Everything. I understand that it is difficult for the both of us.” <em>Someone more than the other, as one has everything to lose by falling. </em></p><p>“Yeah, something like that,” he replied, and the conversation seemed to peter out again, which neither of them wanted. “Though, if you don’t mind me talking about it...”</p><p>He couldn’t help but feel guilty; Alfred was clearly trying very hard to reconnect with him, so he’d better do the same – n-not like he wanted to be close again or anything, but he deserved that little bit of respect. “Yes?”</p><p>Arthur saw his throat move. “What did you think of the...kiss?”</p><p>“I...” <em>Only someone as confident as you could ask such a brash question. </em>“I don’t have a firm grasp on what determines a quality kiss, as it was my first.”</p><p>Alfred lit up. “Oh, it was your first kiss, too? That’s awesome!” he exclaimed, not quite understanding the shock that slowly spread on his face and answering the question he’d tried to ignore earlier. “Huh? Did I say something? You okay?”</p><p>“You...that is to say, Alfred, I was your...”</p><p>“Ahah...yeah! Yeah, it’s my first kiss too,” he said. Trying his best to not blush which was pointless the moment he felt his cheeks warm again, he looked away. “Is, uh, that so bad?”</p><p>Alfred’s bashful expression almost made him melt, and he stepped closer. Gingerly, he let his hands rest on his chest, the tips of their shoes brushing once more as Arthur tilted his head to continue speaking. “No, not at all – I just expected you to have done so already.”</p><p>“Naw,” he said. At the back of his mind, Arthur knew they should be untangling from each other and sitting on sofas, where the conversation would be more socially acceptable, but tonight’s temperature was cool and his body was so warm...not like there were any other motives for remaining close to him, or anything foolish like that. His fingers curled slightly on his chest, but didn’t seek to move away.</p><p>“Since I was a kid, I’ve always wanted to have a Deciding. Not only do I wanna marry for love and stuff, but also, you know. Our people need their morale back. Though it’s been a decade since the sickness, you can still feel the scars on the land. And, uh, a Deciding can’t fix everything, yeah, but it’s a start. Even if I didn’t wanna go through the process, I’d do it for my people, so I’m glad I could do that as well.”</p><p>All the teasing and defensive jokes Arthur had prepared completely crumbled in the face of that confession.</p><p>“It’s kinda silly, right? Heh. Us royals are lucky in that we now get to choose whether to do it or not, but I really wanted it.” There seemed to be something else he wanted to say, but he shook himself out of it. “So I guess you could say I’ve always known that my first kiss would happen during the Deciding.”</p><p><em>Did you know it would be me from the start? </em>Arthur thought. If those words escaped his mouth, he’d be unable to hear anything over the sound of his heartbeat. “Then...”</p><p>“Is that really surprising? I mean, I’ve said it lots in interviews with the last few months.” Alfred laughed, subtly adjusting his grip so one of his gloved hands was cupping Arthur’s elbow.</p><p>“No, not at all, I just never imagined that...” He hoped he couldn’t pick up on his stammering, or the fact that he had been too engrossed in absorbing all the knowledge he could possibly gain within his last term. “Someone like <em>me </em>would be your first.”</p><p>“Whaddya mean by that?” If Alfred would stop speaking in that deep tone, Arthur could possibly just about avoid melting right there in his arms.</p><p>“Well, like a princess from another kingdom, or someone who’s much more worthy-” Alfred gave him a pointed look, and he remembered that there <em>were </em>no eligible princesses or princes except Queen Elizabeta and Jack Roderich’s two daughters, who were too young to be doing so anyway. “Well, not really, I suppose. Another continent. Off of Cards. No?”</p><p>Shaking his head, Alfred pouted a little. “Vienne and Elly are like little sisters to me, and they’re too young anyway, but you knew that. And it’s not like there are a gazillion countries outside our borders that have monarchies.”</p><p>Arthur smirked, forgetting to hide behind his walls and push away his fondness, as the sensation of Alfred’s mouth on his started fading. “A friend from the army, perhaps? Was that why your technique was good?”</p><p>“Hey!” Alfred said, but the pout on his face said otherwise. “Whaddya think of me? But wait, Artie - you think it was a good kiss?”</p><p>“...N-No, I didn’t say anything like that,” Now it was Arthur’s turn to become flustered – he hadn’t meant for it to slip out. Doing his best to avoid his gaze, he curled his toes in embarrassment when Alfred dipped his head to maintain their point of contact. “It’s not like...I’d enjoy it again...”</p><p>“Say, Artie,” he was grinning like a fiend, “If you only think princesses are worth kissing for the first time,”</p><p>“You’re the future <em>King of Spades</em>, Alfred, do spare me.”</p><p>“Yeah, I know,” he replied, shaking his head in amusement. For some reason, though, through all his nerves Arthur felt compelled to look him in the eyes – not until after he’d rolled his eyes, of course. Standing so closely together, he could in fact see his own reflection within their blue depths, a discovery that made his breathing recede. “Haven’t finished. Then...since I had you as my first kiss...wouldn’t that make you...”</p><p>Arthur’s eyes couldn’t help but widen, and his mouth fell open. “No, that’s-” He was struggling to find the words to express his surprise – calling him that would cross another line, something both of them were awfully fond of doing, but this one was too severe. “That’s...sarcasm, surely?”</p><p>“Huh? Naw, you’re the only one of us that knows how to actually use it.”</p><p>“But you <em>can’t </em>call me that, n-not when-” Oh Fates, he was so overcome he was stuttering now, forcing himself to lower his voice to a whisper. “-Not when it has not ended. Or are you...?”</p><p>
  <em>Even though I’m chanced upon to be so close to you, ending it so soon would be impossible for me. Just having your affection could not make me an appropriate member of the Primary Suit. I’m not ready, not to be for you like that, or any part of the job that comes with it. I’m not nearly-</em>
</p><p>“Ending it...?” Annoyingly, Alfred’s face was still stupidly handsome when he looked confused. “H-Huh? Wait, Arthur, I’m not-”</p><p>“If...if you were going to call me what I think you were meaning to say, I...couldn’t handle it,” Arthur said, his cheeks pinking, so much so that Alfred could see his very faint freckles. Shifting in his embrace once more, he still couldn’t find the energy needed to pull away. “I...I’m not ready. I’m not fit t-”</p><p>A tight squeeze stopped what would be a most foolish confession. All of a sudden, Arthur’s head almost naturally fell into the crook of Alfred’s neck. His scent was even stronger there – coupled with the sensation of his gold chain and silver beads, Arthur could hear his heartbeat thrumming feverishly in his ears.</p><p>“But you’re – you shouldn’t have to make this decision, it hasn’t even been two months!”</p><p>“My bad, Artie!” Alfred hissed, whispering into his ear that naturally sent another shiver down his spine, leaving no corner of his skin untouched. At least he was appearing to attempt to be discreet. “I didn’t want you to be so scared, I’m not ending anything and stuff, I just...”</p><p>“Alfred, you-”</p><p>“Wait up, okay? So you know, what’s going to happen when this Deciding is over, is that <em>whoever</em> wins,” that sent relief coursing through his system, “ascends to the rank of Queen of Spades. There isn’t going to be an inbetween, since that was part of the agreement for this Deciding specially. Didn’t you know that?”</p><p>“Er, I...” <em>No, but even if I did, I haven’t been able to think straight for the past twenty minutes. </em>“So, you’re saying that...”</p><p>“Yanno, for a really smart guy you’re kinda helpless on this topic.” The dolt – he was laughing! The absolute nerve.</p><p>“Your <em>Highness</em>,” Arthur was sure that would make him cross, “I did not come into this competition with the expectations that I would be chosen. Do forgive me.”</p><p>“On one condition,” he said, pulling backwards. Frustratingly, Arthur’s heartbeat had not returned to pre-Alfred levels, and he was tactfully ignoring the jab at himself. “Anyway! It should be fine to call you that nickname because of that, right? In p-r-i-v-a-t-e?”</p><p>“Just say private, idiot,” Arthur huffed. “W-Well. If you promise me it does not have the usual connotations within the space of a Deciding, and it does <em>indeed</em> stay private, I’d be willing to accept it.”</p><p>Alfred nodded once, but the conservative movement couldn’t disguise his shy happiness from Arthur, who was still close. They moved away, and for the first time he could see how red his cheeks were – did it mean that he was embarrassed by the implications of the nickname as he was?</p><p>If he tilted his head just so... “R-Regardless,” Arthur said quickly to distract himself from his foolish thoughts, “What was the one condition you were asking about?”</p><p>“It’s not that big of a deal! Hero’s honour.”</p><p>“You say that every time and it is...”</p><p>“Hey, what’s with that look? Anyway, there’s just one more thing,” Alfred said. His tone lowered from his usual excited pitch once more, and by the Fates that was unfair. “Since, well. You’re in this competition also for me, now...” he said, letting the words hang in the air to great effect.</p><p><em>I’ve already deprived you of so much honesty tonight; you deserve this confirmation, at least. </em>“Yes, I am. I suppose. Oi – don’t thrust your hand up like that, the sound you’d make would signal things were amiss...never mind, dolt. As long as...as you’re happy...Regardless! That doesn’t answer my question.”</p><p>“Getting to that, there’s no need to be impatient!” Arthur hoped he disguised his embarrassment well enough. “The thing is – the competition is going to start becoming intense soon. We’re at twenty people, and I think it wouldn’t be fair to Yao and Matt if I had this go on for more than a year. At most.” The conflict in his eyes was palpable. “I’m not...saying this for the sake of making you take on other roles, but I just wanna warn you that you might find the atmosphere of the Deciding different compared to when you weren’t gunning for me. That’s all.”</p><p>“I understand. Thank you,” Arthur acknowledged, his eyes softening. “It’s gracious of you to warn me.”</p><p>Alfred winked, and he sensed his knees weakening. “Knowing you, it still wouldn’t get you down. Don’t go brawling with the others, though! Don't think I'll allow everything just because I like you!”</p><p>“It’ll take more than a few people to, I’m sure, even if it was physical combat,” Hating the bead of happiness that had grown in his chest after hearing that remark, he defaulted to his usual sarcasm. “So, what was that favour?”</p><p>Taking a moment to peer at the clock above Arthur’s desk, and noticing the now dark sky, Alfred pursued his lips, which obviously made him look at them, and the small dip of his Cupid’s bow, and-</p><p>“Would you wanna do it again?” The boyish charm had arrived once more, red cheeks behind his glasses, and his cowlick was acting up in a bizarre way. “You know. Just a little one. Private and all.”</p><p>Things were about to be drastically changed, set into motion simply by that one kiss they’d had awhile ago, which they still hadn’t moved away from. He’d been practically elated with his detachment from the palace at the start – he felt as if he’d be able to continue on with his life after he was eliminated, with merely a story about how he’d spent the first few months of the spring within the throes of the Spadian palace, earn possibly enough so that his family would not have to worry about utilities and food ever again, and walk away with his heart intact, as he didn’t ever intend on falling in love.</p><p>But as Arthur’s hands moved from his chest to seguing up the back of his head, <em>finally </em>getting to truly run his hands through his hair, and pulling him so their noses brushed together once more, he realised that the future he’d envisioned was – not for a lack of trying – moving further and further from him by the minute.</p><hr/><p>An unspoken agreement was made to not speak of the birthday celebration the next morning, and thankfully neither of them had much opportunity to do so anyway. The following weekend, Arthur was having a tiny celebration with his trio of friends as promised, and Alfred was speed dating again. Since Meeting footage wouldn’t happen until the week after, he’d have to supplement it again with interviews. Because of that, he simply wouldn’t allow himself to daydream or dally on what had occurred in his room – not to Yao, not to Matthias, and not even to Matthew. His brother seemed busy, anyway, seeing that the Meeting was next <em>week</em>.</p><p>The worst part of the week, however, was not the speed dating – rather, it was the consultation with the advisors. Though it had been Yao’s suggestion, he was not happy with Alfred having to defer to a council alone, even though he was unaware of...certain things. After all, he did need someone who hadn’t raised him for half his life to hold him accountable. He just wished it wasn’t them...</p><p>Them, with their gleaming badges of contempt, fully and gleefully aware of the power that they held within the court which was much more than it should be. For all he knew, opposing them when the Primary Suit was only two people was useless. With public opinion still in favour of them, not to mention the weakness of the monarchy, there was nothing he could do but explain his plans and wait with tensed breath that they’d accept them.</p><p>Lately, though, he’d started to bring some moral support to back him up. Usually it would be Michael, once or twice he’d been able to get Matthew to come along, but this week he’d had the luck to invite Katya along. Strangely, even though he and Ivan would – and probably wouldn’t ever – see eye to eye, they got along with each other.</p><p>“Hello, Alfred,” she said, the same motherly affection he’d felt from her ever since she’d been stationed in Spades. They’d agreed to meet in the entrance to the main room where court was usually held, but since there was no king, it was the advisorship’s main base for now. “You look nervous – is there something wrong?”</p><p><em>Right, she hasn’t even been doing this with me before</em>, he thought as he smiled his usual smile to ward off her worries. Michael had been with him enough times to expect his nerves, and Matthew and Matthew alone knew exactly why they were there, so it was fine. Thankfully, she simply patted him on the shoulder and entered along with him.</p><p>Even with a full fledged Joker by his side, he could feel the waves of contempt for the boy king that he was roll off them in waves, so he clutched his papers and tried not to look too much at them in earnest. Since Matt was busy with Meeting prep, his advisor, and the one guy Alfred grudgingly trusted wasn’t here, so it was just him and Katya.</p><p>“Joker Katya, how excellent of you to join us today,” a woman’s voice was the first one to greet them – Aileen, the de facto leader of the highest faction of the advisorship, easy to tell by the way everyone deferred to her. Her dark hair was pulled back too tightly as always, and the purple badge gleamed in the light, catching Alfred’s eye. “Along with the crown prince.”</p><p>Always the crown prince. Never Prince Alfred, never anything more. “Ah, it was a pleasure to join him today,” Katya said. Her speech gave nothing away, but he felt the squeeze on his shoulder tighten, in a way that made him strangely comforted in the face of the hawkish eyes honed on him. With her being the only person he could trust in this room, he latched onto her by sitting down after she did, in the usual seat of the Queen and the Jack. The King’s seat, markedly, was removed.</p><p>This turned out to be a big mistake, which was picked up quickly by the advisors.</p><p>“Your Highness, is something the matter? We were expecting <em>you </em>to give the presentation, not Joker Katya.” The same sneering tone, again, when he’d first brought in Matthew. “If you would like to witness exemplary behaviour in court, we’d prefer you do it after the whole Meeting business is resolved.”</p><p>Not unable to hide his flinch, Alfred fought back with the most boisterous laugh on the matter as he could, hoping to quell Katya’s concerned look, which thankfully it did. They’d been watching him like hawks since he’d been born, so they’d know all about his tendency to cling onto people he trusted.</p><p>Then again, like so many other people in his life, she would one day have to leave, and...</p><p>“I do hope, dear crown prince, that you aren’t upset she’s not in your Deciding.”</p><p>“Of course not, she’s far too established in her role to come to something like my Deciding,” Alfred joked.</p><p>“Oh?” Somehow, somewhere, he’d fucked up, as the same silky voice that had taunted him countless times was back again, though disguised in a joking manner. “Are you insinuating that your posse is not capable of being Queen?” Aileen didn’t even have to keep on speaking for him to understand the words lying underneath.</p><p>
  <em>Befitting, for a boy who was powerless to do anything when your mother, then your father, perished.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Without your brother and the Jack at your side, who are you, really? A child with an oversized crown, whose destiny is to flail until your precious Deciding fixes that – or pretends to do so. What would your parents say?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>We do not need to prove the weaknesses of monarchy. You do so without us lifting a finger. We know why you truly went to serve in the military, crown prince. </em>
</p><p>Swallowing once, Alfred replied. He desperately hoped Katya would not take her hand from his shoulder. “It’s only been two months. They’re all perfectly capable of taking the role i-in time.”</p><p>Perhaps it was the Joker’s presence, or something in her face that Alfred could not see as his gaze was too fixed on the advisorship in front of him, but the taunting stopped. Shoulders relaxed, people sat back, and Aileen herself simply gestured with her head. “Of course, crown prince, with time they will grow to be an exemplary member of the Primary Suit, and we will do everything to assist them whilst they ascend. It was fun discussing it with you; now do you have the reports that we requested?”</p><p>There it was again. The advisorship dangling time, which Alfred would never really have enough of, like a carrot on a stick, forcing himself to second guess every action he took within the Deciding. Well, no matter. He’d have to stick by their games, just for now.</p><p>“Yes, I do,” he said stiffly. He had to remain official and boring, he’d already given away enough of his personality over the years to them, only to have it twisted every way. “First, we’ll start with the ones regarding development in the south of Spades, and how we’re looking to concentrate metal trades to fix their development.”</p><p>For now.</p><p>What choice did he have?</p><hr/><p>Coming out of the weekend, though, Monday was unrepentant. Their breakfast was only allowed to take around forty five, and Arthur, who had woken up later than usual holding his stuffed bear, had to eat faster than usual. Lunch wasn’t any better, and it was only when he made his way down to the Drawing Room with Leon afterwards that it didn’t seem as if anyone had a date scheduled for that day.</p><p>Arthur was more than willing to just sit back and listen to the hums of conversation whilst he and Leon sipped their cups of tea for Sakura and Emma to arrive. He was just in the process of waving a hello to Alfonso, who came in with Thomas as he usually did, when he picked up a conversation thread.</p><p>“We already had that large elimination just before Friday,” someone muttered. “Do you really think the prince will do it again?”</p><p>“Who knows?” came the answer. Arthur’s cup was raised to his lips, but did not move. “At least, the competition is split strangely – there’s still so many holding facility kids here. Nothing happened at lunch, either.”</p><p>“Eight’s not that many, Marianne.”</p><p>“You’re right. Eight is <em>too </em>many,” she snapped. Arthur placed down his cup, careful not to catch Leon’s – who was reading the newspaper – attention. Someone else turned on the television in the background, news of the Meeting blaring in the background. “Someone should get them out.”</p><p>“What, like they can’t do it themselves?” her companion sounded incredibly disinterested in the conversation, his gaze looking elsewhere in the room. “These are holding facility kids we’re talking about.” Out of the corner of his eye, he realised that he was looking in his direction, which caused Arthur to look away sharply, but not so to the point where he couldn’t eavesdrop. Attempting to blend in, he picked up his teacup once more.</p><p>“At least, Natalya said she overheard that one of the girls that were eliminated – holding facility, of course, was talking politics on a date, or something about that. They don’t even know that’s inappropriate.”</p><p>Arthur’s own cutting words in the library flashed through his mind, and he tried to ignore the slight tremor as he held his cup.</p><p>“Oh? Natalya? Did she divulge any details? That’s a mysterious girl, she is.” Marianne was arranging her skirts, sitting closer to him. “I’m not terribly fond of getting information from her, but that’s beside the point.”</p><p>He shook his head. Arthur took a sip of his tea, his eyes darting to the door for a moment before quickly placing it back onto the table. Still no Sakura or Emma. “No, that’s all she overheard, apparently.”</p><p>“I don’t trust her. She’s all too happy to sit in our company but doesn’t do much past that. Perhaps she’s one of those types to not do anything until the competition really heats up.”</p><p>“She hasn’t been sent home yet.”</p><p>“She’s not from the holding facilities,” she scoffed, “Of course she would still be here. Regardless. I wonder what else they did in the date. They went to the stables, correct? I wonder if she was invited to groom the horses, and got angry because she was unable to?”</p><p>The two of them tittered in unison, and thankfully at this moment Emma and Sakura arrived together – Emma wearing light pants like she had done during Arthur’s birthday gathering, and Sakura a dress to match the windy day.</p><p>“I saw the Ace and the Jack come down here just now, when we were walking in!” she said enthusiastically, adjusting her headband as they sat down. “There must be a big announcement if they’re both coming downstairs with the prince.”</p><p>“You think?” Leon asked, folding over his newspaper and placing it to the side. “At least. Did you see him?”</p><p>Sakura shook her head, fixing her skirts before facing the rest of the group. Strangely enough, Arthur felt himself understand her more as their age difference had shortened; yet he had a ways to go in terms of maturity. “Not yet, I do not think,” she said. “I believe it is something for the Meeting festivities, though.”</p><p>“If the activity is sitting around and listening to politicians do something that’s completely over our heads, do count me out – I’d be absolutely rubbish.”</p><p>“Ah, there is no need to count yourself out, Arthur. I think you would be good because of your schooling.”</p><p>“That sounds pretty dull, though...but I’d be all right with it if it involved Alfred. Right?”</p><p>“Fair point,” Arthur nodded, shifting forward to get another drink of his tea, but paused when he saw Leon staring at him. “Pardon?”</p><p>“Wait a minute, timeout. I totally...when did this happen?” he asked.</p><p>“What happened? Are you talking about me turning eighteen?”</p><p>“No, not that.” Leon was clearly fighting back a snort. “Your eyes are sort of...how do I put this, they’re, like. Moony. Dreamy. Whatever.” At Arthur’s persistent confusion, Leon raised an elegant eyebrow at his friend. “You’ve never, like, talked about the prince with that face. Right? Am I going ballistic?”</p><p>To his mortification, Emma and Sakura peered over at him, their eyebrows knit together and shoulders touching. “P-Pardon?” he spluttered. “Has anything changed-”</p><p>Snapping her fingers, she nodded brightly. “Wait, Leon! You’re completely right. He looks like a love struck teenager!”</p><p>“Me? Emma, I think you’re mistaken for yourse-”</p><p>“I agree with Emma and Leon,” Sakura said quickly.</p><p>“B-But, I’m not in-”</p><p>“Did something happen?” Leon repeated, tilting his head slightly to the side. “You told me a few weeks ago that you didn’t have feelings for him. Has that totally changed?”</p><p>“That was a few weeks ago, I-” Thankfully, Arthur was saved from his humiliation with the Jack and Ace arriving in the room. The moment Alfred walked in, though, all blue overcoat and bright smiles, he completely forgot about hiding his feelings and instantly looked away, doing his best to avoid eye contact but instead bringing up a memory.</p><p><em>His body was warm...</em>Arthur thought, about to overwhelm himself with his embarrassing longing for his heat before he realised that warmth was a matter of human nature. Fates, he hoped neither of his friends were looking at Alfred instead of him.</p><p>“Apologies for the impromptu message, Chosen,” the Jack was speaking, to bows and curtsies all around the room as everyone rose up to greet them. “Yes, thank you. We have an important announcement to make regarding the Meeting.”</p><p>Matthew stepped forward. “This has been a bit of a special event we were planning to surprise Prince Alfred with,” he said. “But we were thinking of hosting a mid Meeting ball on Friday this week, and every single Chosen member are cordially invited to attend.” <em>Translation: you have no choice but to come and be gawked at from cameras, and the nation, not to mention the whole of Cards, sees your clumsy feet. </em></p><p>Predictably, this caused the room to break out in feverish conversations. He and Sakura exchanged a glance, whilst cheers and applause broke out amongst the Chosen. He still daren’t look at Alfred’s face as he leaned in to speak to both his brother and the Jack, whispers being exchanged amongst them. It felt like an eternity of a wait until he turned around.</p><p>“I...I don’t know what to say, I was gonna attempt to plan it but I didn’t feel like it would be feasible at all,” Alfred said, barely able to keep the disbelief out of his voice. “Please, join me in thanking the Ace and the Jack.”</p><p>After a considerable smattering of applause, Ace Matthew continued speaking. “The details are not firm for now, but we will be hosting lessons for those unfamiliar with the dances being performed at the ball. Prince Alfred,” he nudged him, “Will be personally assisting with everyone individually.”</p><p>That seemed to get everyone’s attention, and Arthur could see backs straightening and clothes being arranged. “We will get the details to you by the end of the day, but please, look forward to it. We regret that we haven’t been able to involve you all in Deciding preparation, so we hope that the festivities will be able to make up for it.”</p><p>Jack Yao took over from Matthew, projecting his voice over the din. “In addition to more information about the ball, we would also require your attendance at dinner tonight, as we will detail what aspects of the palace will change for the Meeting, not to mention further guidelines on conduct and security. We look forward to seeing you there tonight.”</p><p>With that, he swept out of the room; Matthew following diligently behind him with a pleasant smile, though his eyebrows were creased in thought. Alfred, cheeky brat, took a few moments to hang back and talk briefly with the Chosen before leaving, and that was all very well for Arthur, who was glad to engage in conversation about the new ball instead of his new, slightly unwanted feelings.</p><p>That is, until the moment Alfred left in the midst of everyone talking with one another, when their eyes met briefly, over the top of a lilting plant placed near the entrance. He seemed to stand in place, mouth slightly ajar, watching him. Was he still having the same thoughts as Arthur did, if he was thinking about their interactions?</p><p><em>He’s probably already kissed someone else</em>, his cynical side protested, kicking him in the hypothetical shins. Fates, Arthur hated that side. He would drive it off a cliff whilst waving an umbrella angrily at it. Yes, if he believed it, it would all be so much easier.</p><p>Once again, the softened look on the prince’s face told him it was a lie. And yet...</p><p>Arthur felt his traitorous lips shift into a soft smile, and he raised two fingers in greeting, trying to play it much cooler than the fireflies in his heart, glowing quietly like the ones in the garden.</p><p><em>Should I move them to my lips? No, no, </em>he scolded himself for such a ridiculous thought. Blushing and turning away, he barely missed Alfred’s reaction. Only when he heard the sound of him closing the door did he allow himself to return back to his conversation.</p><p>Alfred on the other hand, straightened himself out; he was jogging back to his room before he assumed anyone noticed. Even with the added weight of assisting to plan the new event, his walk seemed much lighter than it had before, and he felt as if he were walking on clouds instead of the palace carpets.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Please leave comments/feedback/criticism/interaction! :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Act 24</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Super sorry for this chapter's lateness! Had to complete way too many 3,000 word essays for the end of the semester.</p><p>I don't know if everyone is, but I hope you're all enjoying the work :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Monday morning came, and with it two letters and the busiest state Arthur had ever saw the palace in. Anna barely had time to ask him what he’d like for the Meeting formal, to which he answered a suit, as he wasn’t sure what else he could possibly wear, and deliver his breakfast before she dashed off. Feeling a pang of sympathy for how much she had to do, he quickly got through the letters.</p><p>To his relief, Kiku was the author of one – after their conversation last week, he’d been missing his friend more than ever. Whilst he sipped his tea slowly, in an attempt to behave more gentlemanly compared to the other...things he’d been doing whilst he had been in the palace for almost two months, he savoured his friend’s letter. It talked about excellent lessons taught by the Ace of Hearts regarding forms of government and legislation and whatnot, surely things that would be important to a queen, but more importantly he’d started to receive tutoring in magic, more specifically Hearts’s specialty of healing. Arthur pushed away his envy and carefully shelled the letter back into its inconspicuous envelope, making a note to reread it and reply as soon as this whole ball nonsense was over.</p><p>The second letter, though, was far from inconspicuous, and felt more like a hastily written note than a full fledged piece.</p><p>“<em>Dear Sir Arthur,</em></p><p>
  <em>I hope this note finds you well. I understand you may be preoccupied with the processes of the Deciding currently, but I also appreciate that Kiku has filled you in with the situation regarding Gilbert and I. However, I feel as if it would do you a disservice if we were not to keep you directly in contact, so I would like to request your presence at my office on Tuesday evening, shortly before dinner at five. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I have gone through Prince Alfred’s schedule and determined that your lesson will not take place that day, so there will be no unwanted clash. I hope you may let me know of whether this discussion is possible by the end of the day.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Best regards,</em>
</p><p><em>Ace Matthew</em>.”</p><p>Taking a moment to himself and ensuring that no one was in the room, Arthur pored over it once more. He knew, from what Anna had told him, that none of the notes that were passed within the palace were allowed to be opened, but even so, this was a huge risk. To him, yes, but even moreso to Ace Matthew. Briefly, he thought of the light reprimand he’d received from Jack Yao – this would utterly pale in comparison.</p><p>Treating this note with even more care, he pursued his lips whilst he thought of a place where Anna wouldn’t stumble upon whilst he was outside for the day. Legs carefully crossed, he stared at a number of things on his table until his gaze clapped onto the photo frame of him and Kiku. The note without its envelope was deceptively easy enough to slot in behind the picture.</p><p>If only it was so easy to stem back the rising feeling of unease crawling up Arthur’s throat as he attempted to go back to breakfast without the discreet meet up in his mind.</p><hr/><p>By the time they were filing in for lunch, everyone was antsy for the first royal carriage to pull up to the Spades palace. Arthur had chosen to spend the morning within the Drawing Room, as the rest of the palace was still in a bustle over preparations and the Chosen had essentially been left to their own devices for the day. The usual cycle of one on one trips with the prince had also been put to a stop temporarily, which left the only substantial topic to talk about being the upcoming lessons.</p><p>Most of them had already received notices they would be receiving short half hour lessons on Tuesday and Wednesday, meaning that those inexperienced – also known as Arthur Kirkland – wouldn’t magically improve as a result. Shame, he was partly hoping that he would be transformed within the space of such a short time.</p><p>He was not looking forward to spending time with Alfred that badly, so why was there a wry twinge in his chest every time someone talked about their date?</p><p>Interestingly enough, it soon became apparent that none of the people who <em>were </em>given a time were from holding facilities, a fact that they were reminded of plenty of times whilst they stood outside the dining hall to be let inside.</p><p>“Thirty minutes won’t stop them from being a laughingstock, probably.”</p><p>“I hope they don’t give them enough screen time. My father wouldn’t think this competition is a high enough calibre, and call for me to return home,”</p><p>“His Highness probably thinks it’s just a waste of time. I mean, I’ve heard they don’t even teach them any form of ballroom dancing, in those facilities.”</p><p>Arthur bristled. “Of course we don’t bloody learn ballroom dancing,” he hissed. Folding his arms and tucking them tight within his chest; for all his defensiveness, though, he failed to realise the Primary Suit and Alfred making their way down the hallway behind him. “We have better things to do with our education.”</p><p>Glancing at the royals behind him, the non holding facility Chosen exchanged mocking laughs that only served to inflame his indignation. “Oh? Such as attempting to learn our ways, just to realise that the best you’d only come up would be a weak imitation?”</p><p>“Have you even received a time about your lesson?” Once she saw his thick eyebrows furrow, she snorted. “Thought so. None of the holding facility kids have received a date for a reason. He’s clearly putting eliminating the whole lot of them off, and there’s not much time to go until Friday.”</p><p>“You again? Better keep to the sides, Arthur,” the same person that had almost incited him to blows was taunting him again, and this time he didn’t have his friends, who were lining up on the other side, to calm him down. “Don't think you’d want the cameras to capture both your poor dancing and your temper. Which is worse, do you think, Ian?”</p><p>“I’d be surprised if his dancing, just like the rest of the holding facility kids, is worse than his attitude!”</p><p>
  <em>Do not get angry. Do not get angry.</em>
</p><p>He got angry. “Is that the only blasted joke you have?” he spat, fists clenching at his sides so hard he was sure his white knuckles were standing out. “Your perception that we are unsuitable to be anywhere near you-”</p><p>“Not <em>our </em>perception, the last Decidings were won by people not from holding facilities-”</p><p>“They haven’t existed for more than twenty years-”</p><p>“I haven’t finished,” Ian said coldly, flicking up his hand to silence Arthur, so close that it almost felt like a swat without making contact with him. Quieting down his voice, he spoke once more, eyes still trained on the people down the hallway. “At least, those with a social rank similar to yours, before they popularised the facilities. Did you seriously think one of your kind could be queen? Think about your ridiculous ego, lack of proper conduct, and weak knowledge - the prince is just keeping you here so he can make the process easier to sort out when the going gets tough.”</p><p>“What, you really think you stand a chance?” Arthur stood there, face contorting in anger, trying to push away the arrows that pierced at his every flaw. The things he could say, about what he and the prince had done already, the things he knew. Fates knew he wouldn’t say them, but perhaps he should let his fists do the speaking.</p><p>“Queen of Spades, hm?” Marianne had chipped in now, leaning forward, her lips pulled into a taunting expression. “Don’t make me laugh. Oh, but before you slam your bony hands in my sides, make sure you make sure you’re aware of your surroundings.”</p><p>“Assaulting a lady won’t be very gentlemanly of you.”</p><p>“You don’t know the next thing about me, so I suggest you shut your trap before I’m tempted,” Arthur said, forgetting to keep his voice down. Of course, the royals were already in earshot by then. Jack Yao swept past their small cluster, parting them with a disapproving look, and Ace Matthew followed suit. He couldn’t even bear to exchange a glance with him though he’d received his note, his own face burning with shame. How in the name of the Fates did he do something so humiliating without keeping his feelings in check?</p><p>“Whilst you are finished with your petty squabbling, I suggest you head to your seats immediately. It’ll be a very long day, I imagine, if we cannot at least pretend that our Chosen,” Yao placed careful emphasis on the word, back turned, “can at least tolerate each other without resorting to <em>certain</em> behaviours.”</p><p>Perhaps that was a good thing – at least, he hoped that the Jack was faintly aware of the tensions between the two groups, but he didn’t have enough courage to ask him before the doors were opened and people started to sweep into the room. He was pretty sure the reprimand was still redirected towards him in particular.</p><p>Alfred, leading up the rear, was greeted with the same sugary enthusiasm that he had always been by the others, inadvertedly causing Arthur’s anger to flare up even more. Why did they put up such a farce whilst taunting him for circumstances beyond his control? Daring to take a glance at his face, he was disconcerted by the disappointment on his face as he walked past.</p><p>Opening his mouth to speak, whatever greeting he had died in his throat as soon as Alfred shook his head in a tiny motion, disappointment written over his handsome features. Somehow, that stung far more than Arthur expected it would.</p><p>Filing into the dining hall, he did his best to keep his head down during the meal.</p><hr/><p>“Said tensions are still there, but I’d prefer that your Sir Arthur would not act so rashly, especially when camera presence will be increased this week.”</p><p>“He’s not <em>my </em>Sir Arthur,” Alfred said, twisting his fork in his pasta. “No one belongs to anyone, right? Anyway, I told him that this kinda stuff isn’t looked upon well, but then he just...aargh.”</p><p>“It’s not just his fault, I suppose,” Matthew replied in tandem. It seemed like all they’d had time for discussion was Arthur in particular, and he didn’t like it. What he’d heard from Kiku had inadvertedly made him someone he’d wanted to rely on, but what with Yao’s concern after the library incident and Alfred’s confusing feelings, he was doubting the Chosen’s ability to remain inconspicuous. “I feel as he was provoked, coming off the video footage we had last week. It hasn’t been the only incident regarding the two factions.”</p><p>“The difference is that the elimination last week was captured by cameras, and was unavoidable,” Yao sighed. It had been a jab to the chest, but that was enough for grounds for elimination. Alfred had been enjoying their company and that alone had made him want to negotiate the situation, but once the advisorship got hold of the footage and threatened to circulate it to distract from the positive Meeting coverage, his hands were tied. Perhaps they wanted to avoid another fight, but their methods were too underhanded for his liking.</p><p>“Yeah, that’s true,” Alfred already looked incredibly uncomfortable, which Matthew decided to stay silent about for their sakes. “I...we couldn't do anything about it, and they both had to go.”</p><p>“Would you really want to eliminate anyone based on this incident? If Sir Arthur cannot behave himself even after you reprimanded him-”</p><p>“No,” he said. Too quickly. Far too quickly. Had he and Sir Arthur, or someone else not from the holding facility, already formed an attachment so much that he was stepping in? Two months into the process? “That’s to say, at least, there’s no footage, so we can’t really determine <em>everyone </em>involved.”</p><p>He had a point; perhaps the two of them were too quick to jump to conclusions, Matthew thought wryly. “That’s true. Though we do know a few names, I believe your harsh words earlier were deterrent enough, Yao.”</p><p>“Was I really that harsh on them?”</p><p>“You could feel the atmosphere sour straight after you started talking,” Matthew chuckled. “Not to mention, perhaps some members were aware that we were approaching them, and decided to fan the flames of a certain someone’s temper deliberately. This isn’t the first Deciding, these things happen.”</p><p>“Very well. I will say that the reprimand was deserved, however an elimination this week would put a damper on the celebrations,” Yao said. “That, coupled with the fact that we must postpone the ball to Sunday, would not prove favourable in our media presence.”</p><p>“I suppose we have a troublemaker on our hands though.” Taking a sip of his wine, he exhaled once through his nose before putting it down and looking at Arthur across the table for a moment. “We’ve had more conversations about him than what would be considered normal at this point in a usual Deciding. I’d prefer that not happen.”</p><p>“Not on camera.” Never mind, it was definitely not one of the other candidates besides Arthur Kirkland that Alfred had eyes for, it was rare for his brother to sound so defensive. “They haven’t been a big thing, neither of them have, either. We shouldn’t single him out, when he’s probably just defending against some old ideas they’ve picked up.”</p><p>Matthew barely remembered the moments when his brother’s tenacity had left an impression on him – maybe he just didn’t, who knows. Made him jealous, sure, but making him impressed and a little proud, less so. This was one of them. Careful to not implicate any member of the Chosen whilst looking out for a particular person, the reason being obvious. A familiar side of his psyche wanted to tease Alfred about his clear bias, but he refrained from doing so. He’d only had a puppy crush once before, so it was interesting to see how he’d react this time.</p><p>Maybe for once, he and his mentor would switch places – he’d always be the one to critique Alfred first, and Yao would usually give him more leeway. For that reason, he openly expressed his agreement with his brother.</p><p>“These kinda things happen with every Deciding, I guess.” Alfred tried to play it off nonchalantly, but Matthew could tell that he was relieved that Matthew had his back.</p><p>“That is true,” Yao acknowledged whilst he continued eating, “Though not every Deciding nearly has enough of the stakes that this one has, it is still yours. Let us hope that none of them make any missteps – oh, Matthew, there is no need to make that face.”</p><p>He couldn’t help but smile at the barely disguised humour in the Jack’s face. “What? You know that it’ll happen, as it is with you teenagers.”</p><p>“Teenagers? We’re-” the brothers chorused impatiently, only to be subdued by the servants arriving to collect their plates. “Uh, um, thank you.”</p><p>“More importantly,” Yao said after their plates were cleared down and they were waiting for dessert, which gave them an excellent time to speak whilst the Chosen were distracted amongst each other, “There is the matter of the delay. Matthew, as Katya is not here, could you announce it? Especially she has been so gracious in taking up preparations for the event. And are we ready for the other royals arriving tomorrow evening and Wednesday?”</p><p>“Of course, Yao.” Not missing a beat, he went down the invisible list that he’d prepared for himself in his head earlier that morning when looking at what else needed to be done for the big week. “I’ll escort both the Diamonds royals and Joker Gilbert,” <em>Keep your cool, you’ve been doing well, </em>“From the train station to here. Yao, could you see to the Clubs when they arrive? The Hearts will be here by tomorrow’s nightfall, so that’s that sorted.”</p><p>“Indeed. You’re eager to see the new Ace, correct?” At Matthew’s nod – he was happy for Yao to believe that <em>that </em>was the reason he perked up, he continued. “Right. Alfred, I do presume that you will be able to keep the lessons with the Chosen and the few other obligations you have in terms of meetings.”</p><p>“Yeah, that’s gonna work.” Wonderful, his brother sounded distracted. “Though...”</p><p>Alfred took a look at the food carts coming out of the kitchen, pushed away his eagerness for sweets and spoke. “Actually, the point about the holding facility Chosen struggling. I think there’s kinda a big point there.”</p><p>“Hm?”</p><p>“Have you talked about this with Katya?”</p><p>“No, I...I don’t wanna burden her with this more,” he said. “There’s eight of them still in the palace, and I don’t think thirty minutes of lesson stuff is gonna help them become confident in dancing and stuff.”</p><p>“That’s a fair point,” Matthew replied. With all his work with the people outside the palace, he’d come to realise they were all mostly around the Inner Circle and the more affluent members of society. “That’s a poor oversight on my part, I’ll-”</p><p>“No, you’ve got a lotta stuff on your plate this week. I have much more time,” he interjected. “There’s eight of them, I’ll spend some more time with each of them in that case.”</p><p>“Hm. How long, Alfred?”</p><p>His eyebrows furrowed in thoughts behind his glasses, and for once he wasn’t staring at the delectable desserts that had started to be rolled out to the other members of the dining hall. “One hour more, at least.”</p><p>“Depending on the person, but not too much that it’ll cut into your duties.”</p><p>“Not to mention, Al, spending too much time with a Chosen might separate them from the rest,” Matthew pointed out. “Delicate balance right there, eh?”</p><p>“Yeah. We’ll explain, so that no one will try to peg the blame on them.” A little naïve, he’d admit, but it was a good step nonetheless. “Is it okay for us to keep meeting room six empty for up until Sunday?” That did annoy Matthew a little bit; he loved his careful schedule of rooms and meetings that he’d made with Carlos two weeks before. “It’s only fair, I guess, to the other ex holding facility members. Not to mention for TV and stuff, it’ll entertain everyone when they realise how boring this talks thing is.”</p><p>“You’re not really doing anything at all...”</p><p>As usual, the debilitating comment flew over his head. “That’s okay, right? Right? It’s not wrong, and it’s what a hero should do,” he was speaking much faster now, probably because the dessert was also moving faster. “What do you two think?”</p><p>Yao and Matthew exchanged a glance. That was pretty much the longest they’d had Serious Alfred make an appearance for a long time. “So be it,” Yao said after a moment, nodding once. “Matthew?”</p><p>“I’m not announcing the fact that one group gets to have more one on one time with Al,” he snorted, patting his brother’s shoulder. “You have the honour.”</p><p>“...Okay, you’re right,” Alfred shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll just make the rest of the announcement as well. Though, it would be pretty good practise for your own Deciding.”</p><p>He couldn’t stop the full body shiver than ran through his system. “Fates, <em>no</em>,” he visibly recoiled. “Not in a thousand years for me, that’s for sure.” Maybe he was a little too quick to turn back to his dessert which had just been placed on their table - luscious blood orange pudding. He didn’t want to think about a meaningless competition for his already reserved heart. “Thank you.”</p><p>Yao chuckled at his answer, and his brother glanced at him for another moment before they tucked into their desserts, which was also fair enough.</p><hr/><p>Whilst he was digging in the cream, a thought occurred to Matthew, one so obvious he was kicking himself for not thinking about it earlier before.</p><p>What if he pulled for Arthur? Not in a blatantly obvious fashion, naturally, but from what he could see, Alfred was already interested in him. Most winners were singled out from the start, from what reading and watching the twins had done together in the months before announcing the start of the Deciding. If Alfred going out of his way to look out for him wasn’t ‘singling out’, Kuma was a Diamonds native deer.</p><p>Not to mention, having someone in the Primary Suit that accepted his and Gilbert’s relationship would be much better in terms of easing everyone else into that knowledge. Two years was a very long time to disguise a relationship between high profile royals, and Matthew realised that it may not be a bad idea to reveal it before they were discovered the hard way.</p><p>Besides, it could be a good outcome to have a holding facility candidate win. Having that fresh perspective, as well as being more in touch with the common folk might be a way to improve their reputation even after the Deciding had finished and the excitement was gone. Not to the point of conspiring to get him to win – Matthew was not even sure that either of them had the temperament to pull it off – but encouraging his brother.</p><p>That was why, on Tuesday evening at five on the dot, he felt that it was still for the best that he had not waited for Gilbert’s arrival on Wednesday to speak to Arthur Kirkland, finally. There was a short, polite knock, a rarity to Matthew’s doors. After he called for him, he entered with a nervous look to both sides of the corridor.</p><p>“Don't worry, Sir Arthur, please take a seat,” Matthew said. “Shall I send for some tea?”</p><p>“Oh – that's very kind of you, but I would prefer to have space for dinner tonight.” At least he hadn’t misinterpreted his attempt to be friendly for something else, as this was how untoward rumours were born. “Thank you for summoning me so, er, discreetly.”</p><p>Matthew couldn’t help but fight off a laugh – probably a jab to how his brother conducted business. “Not at all, you’re doing me a huge favour just by being here. Just so you know-”</p><p>“May I ask – ah, no, please do go ahead, Your Highness.” That was a little...unexpected. From the small chats he’d had with Alfred, he’d figured out that Arthur had stopped using honourifics with him, but perhaps that was an exclusive thing?</p><p>“Sir Arthur, I would just like to inform you that not waiting for Joker Gilbert’s arrival was deliberate.”</p><p>“May I enquire as to why? It feels as if it is an important enough conversation to be having with the both of you.”</p><p>“Well, putting it simply, neither of us want to overwhelm you with the task.” Gingerly, Matthew laid out a hand to pat Arthur’s palm once. He hoped it was comforting, but paused at his apprehensive expression. “I’ll explain quickly, but the task we’d like to entrust to you is simply continuing on with life as normal. As if the encounter with Joker Gilbert never happened.”</p><p>Arthur’s nose twitched. “T-That’ll be all, Your Highness?”</p><p><em>Well, that’s a little less profanity laden than I’d expect from the stories I’ve been hearing about him. </em>“Yes, that’ll be all,” he said, reminding himself to smile pleasantly and keep his legs crossed. “We would just like you to continue on as if nothing has happened, as well as not disclose the secret. Forgive Gilbert and I, we did not intend for your meeting within the Hearts facility to occur. Did he tell you that?”</p><p>“No, it seemed to me as if he played it off quite well, I did not suspect that it was planned at all...”</p><p>Fortunately for Matthew, from this brief exchange he was able to discern a few things. First, Gilbert was simultaneously quick on his feet and an absolute idiot and he deserved a chewing out for both of those things. Second, Arthur Kirkland was sounding more and more like the person Kiku had described in their meetings – formal, polite, intelligent, and someone he could see as an asset to the palace...</p><p>He kicked himself in the kneecap, then immediately winced at the force of his business shoes, hoping that Arthur wouldn’t see. These types of thoughts weren’t fair to Al.</p><p>“Though, I must ask – who else knows?”</p><p>“Kiku, Joker Katya...that’s all there is.” <em>I suspect Francis knows, but I can’t give him a name based on a hunch. </em>“And you as well.”</p><p>“Have you not told Alfr...Prince Alfred? If there isn’t a child, then...”</p><p>“No, I have not,” he answered. “Even if there isn’t a child, nor do we ever intend to. If this is the compromise we must make if the relationship is ever to be accepted, then so be it.”</p><p>Arthur exhaled; rubbing the back of his neck in what he thought was relief. “Well, I was going to ask whether that was a factor in your decision in eventually revealing the relationship.”</p><p>Some odd three hundred years ago, a child borne between an union of a Joker, allied with Hearts and the Clubs Ace, caused a scorched-earth war that led to most history about the continent of Cards before it had been split into the Four Kingdoms being destroyed, and a fifth of the population decimated. It was blamed on unstable magic inherited from their parents, but barely anyone knew the real cause of their rampage. Bottom line was that no such union had ever occurred again.</p><p>Though Matthew and Gilbert had started seeing each other when they were still young and Gilbert’s grandfather had still been Joker, and the relationship had continued during Gilbert’s very short lived tenure as Queen of Hearts, it had been expected of them to break it off once <em>he’d </em>ascended to his grandfather’s position had anyone else known. Usually, Matthew had enough self preservation to know that continuing the relationship was too dangerous for both their sakes, but the other person had an uncanny way of disarming all his common sense.</p><p>So why had he decided to continue? “Because the Primary Suits around Cards are all filled with new people, now,” Matthew said, answering both Arthur and his internal query out loud. “The old blood has been replaced with new, and the oldest people to rule Cards as of right now have not been doing it for more than three years. So I thought, with everyone knowing life past the epidemic and being more open minded to things, they’d be more willing to accept it. That is, at least, our hope.”</p><p><em>I cannot reveal the news to Al, because if I do and the advisorship gets wind of it, they will take the anger out on him. And last time it happened, I...</em> his stomach clenched, remembering the mound of unravelling bandages and the cries of pain beyond the bathroom door. Quickly hiding his expression with his hair so Arthur wouldn’t see, he took a moment to compose himself before facing the Chosen with an adjustment of his glasses.</p><p>One day, he’d find the strength to warn everyone. But that day, and this person, was not suitable. “T-That’s all.”</p><p>“I do agree with your talking points, however I must say that you are taking great liberties in the possibility I wouldn’t report this to Alf – Prince Alfred.” <em>There, the elephant in the room.</em> “I will say though, I believe that you won’t have the intention of raising a child with the Joker and-”</p><p>“P-Please, don’t,” Matthew blurted, cutting off what Arthur was about to say. Steeling himself, he took another deep breath before facing him once more. “Please, for both his sakes and ours, don’t. He already has so much on his plate with the Deciding, and I appreciate you know how high the stakes are-”</p><p>“Yes, Your Highness, I do-”</p><p>“He <em>must </em>finish the Deciding with as little stress as possible, the Jack and I promised him that little. After the Deciding, Joker Gilbert and I will definitely let him know, but until then. I’ll even be happy to provide some sort of incentive.” He could not know about the advisors. Not yet. At Arthur’s eyes widening, though, he realised he might have spoken too hastily. “A-Anything that is suitable.”</p><p>“I...I don’t want to blackmail you, Ace Matthew,” Arthur said haltingly. He looked clearly uncomfortable, and another pang of guilt hit him. “That would be unfair of me. However, in terms of an incentive, well. You are aware that you can consult with essentially any candidate with the promise of aiding them to win the Deciding, and they would be happy to keep this secret?”</p><p>Ah, well. Matthew was starting to see the benefits of the holding facility programme, after all. “Correct, however...that is not how we want to play the game. The decision lies with Prince Alfred, and Prince Alfred alone.” He conveniently omitted the fact that all the research done on the Spade mark essentially concluded that it was smarter than many took it for and could recognise manipulation when needed to. “So no, that is not on the table.”</p><p>Once more to his surprise, Arthur Kirkland did not seem disappointed or annoyed, rather relieved. “Of course, Your Highness. I apologise if that seemed rude.”</p><p>“No, it was a prudent question. Are you sure there is nothing else you can think of?”</p><p>He fell silent, legs resting squarely in a refined position not far from the ones he’d been used to whilst interacting with the upper class. Perhaps he’d been too fast to let Yao and Alfred’s judgements cloud his own. At the same time, the controversy between the holding facility candidates and the other Chosen felt foolish. The clock ticking in his study seemed to fill the quiet minutes, until Arthur cleared his throat and spoke.</p><p>“Are you, er, aware of the compensation provided to families whose children are in the Deciding?”</p><p>“I am, yes.”</p><p>“It doesn’t have to be much, but...” he swallowed once before continuing, “I was hoping that there could be a little more sent to my family every month. I’m not attempting to sell you my silence or anything, and you don’t have to do this, Ace Matthew, but I suppose it would be a good incentive.”</p><p>“Oh,” he said. Another moment passed, he picked up his blue metal pen and started writing on his notepad. “Sir Arthur, how much would five hundred extra gold sound? Per month? I will perform the payment discreetly, so no one will get wind of this.”</p><p>His eyes widened, just a little, but from the distance between his desk and his chair Matthew noticed his shock. “F-Five hundred gold? Per...per month?”</p><p>“Yes. You have been gracious in not sharing your knowledge even before I spoke to you, and we both appreciate your aid. It’s hard to find an ally even in this situation.” Ally. Something neutral, something he hoped both of them could find the other as.</p><p>“In that case, that would be a massive help, Your Highness,” Arthur said, getting to his feet and bowing once. Matthew had half a mind to stop him, but the motion was over before he could mention it. “Truly, it will be a huge aid to my family.”</p><p>“Thank you, Sir Arthur,” Matthew said, following suit and getting to his feet once he’d capped his pen. The meeting had gone far, far better than he’d expected it to. “Truly, even though it may not seem that much, having an ally in the palace is more important than you may believe.”</p><p>A hint of mirth tugged at the corner of his lips, eyebrows furrowing. “I’m part of the Deciding, Your Highness. I believe I understand the extent of the importance of having people you can trust.”</p><p>“That’s right, eh? Though,” he paused, squinting up at the clock once more. Had forty minutes passed already? “We must return before we are missed. Best of luck, Sir Arthur.” <em>Especially with my brother</em>.</p><p>“I appreciate it, Your Highness.” With another curt bow, he walked to the nearest staircase and started ascending immediately, footsteps forming a swift crescendo that quickly faded away.</p><p>Adjusting his pale blue tie whilst closing the door, Matthew collapsed into his chair with a long sigh. Great. He had to help welcome in the Hearts royals tonight, and then prepare himself for a long, long day of waiting for that stupid chrome yellow train to show up...</p><p>Fates forbid he try to get any rest.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Please leave comments/feedback/criticism/interaction! :) I'd dearly love to know what you think, and it's a huge motivator for me.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Act 25</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Managed to get this chapter out on time this week :) I don't have the best confidence in my portrayal of group dynamics/world building, so please let me know how you feel about this chapter. </p><p>There's a bit of French here too, I'm sure that you can deduce the meaning without Translate - French (along with English lol)  is not my first language so please forgive any errors I may have made lol.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They arrived at early nightfall, as promised.</p><p>All the Chosen flocked to the windows when Thomas and Alfonso raised the alarm, a bevy of excited cheers and hushed whispering as they did so. The Spades palace was lit quietly with lampposts – even <em>those </em>were coloured blue – that made it possible to see the three royals and the Joker standing outside the gates to welcome their arrivals. Arthur’s eyes caught briefly on the blue of Alfred’s jacket before looking away. He couldn’t be caught doing that, though he was sure everyone else was doing the same.</p><p>It wasn’t as if he were focused on him or anything. Right. He was hungry. Hungry. Eating was the number one thing on his mind. Food.</p><p>Alfred turned to speak to Matthew whilst Joker Katya and Jack Yao were speaking adjusting his tie as he did so. He couldn’t help but notice that his clock was now fully displayed on his chest, standing out against his white shirt. Was it the same one he’d worn when they’d shared their first kiss?</p><p>Fates, when had he gotten so soft? Just thinking about his arms around his waist, pulling him closer, his heartbeat matching up with his own, the way his fringe brushed into his eyes, hiding forbidden knowledge that he wanted to seek out for himself made him embarrassed. Hoping that the unlit hallways and the night sky could hide his hot cheeks, he positioned his attention away. Maybe Leon, who was looking slightly distracted himself, was feeling the same?</p><p>Just as he was about to throw away his pride and muster conversation with his closest friend, the muffled, faraway noise of hooves on cobblestone preceded the grand Hearts carriage. Being coloured deep red and dark gold in the night, the noises from both the Chosen and the multitude of cameras outside only served to grow louder.</p><p>“Fates, it’s them! It’s really them!”</p><p>“The Vargas brothers-” According to Arthur’s lessons back at his holding facility, the Jack and Ace of Hearts, “-they’re actually here. Like, in the flesh.”</p><p>“King Ludwig looks even more handsome than the photos show him,” someone said in a hushed tone as soon as the three royals stepped out. Obviously, lacking a queen, but still much more intact that the Primary Suit in Spades.</p><p>It was hard to discern the Jack and Ace, Feliciano and Lovino – because of the dark lighting, and the fact that they were younger and older brother – from each other. After awhile, though, when the Jack came out and his huge hat along with it, it was much easier. Ace Lovino, with his impeccable fashion style, strode next to his brother with a much more refined pace than Jack Feliciano’s half skips. With all their differences, though, they were greeted with equal warmth.</p><p>He could practically feel everyone craning their necks to look for the exit of the king, and it did not disappoint.</p>
<hr/><p>“Feli, I hope the weather has been treating you well,” Katya said, being the first to hug the younger Vargas brother. “Welcome to Spades.”</p><p>“I hope the trip was comfortable, Lovino,” Matthew quickly followed up her example, bowing to the two. His fellow Ace’s expression turned from haughty to slightly pleased, and he took that as a victory. Though Lovino wasn’t exactly as easy to get along with as his brother, he’d at least hoped that with their shared role and their kingdoms’ close alliance, that they’d form some sort of bond. Yao greeted the two right after he did, which left...</p><p>Oh. Of course Alfred wouldn’t be rushing to greet the two brothers, Matthew thought wryly as he noticed his twin look impatiently at the carriage to where Ludwig was currently disembarking. Fighting back a sigh, he counted in his head. One, two, thr-</p><p>Alfred’s pressed leather shoes might as well have had magical boosters on them. With a familiar cry of “Lud!” he shot off, throwing his arms around his best friend, which was met by an awkward pat on the back. Yao shook his head disapprovingly, but everyone in his vicinity could see the small smile that he wore.</p><p>Ludwig’s face was tinged pink, though it looked even darker underneath the artificial light. “Alfred, please,” he protested weakly, looking over his best friend’s shoulder. “I believe we have an audience, as well.”</p><p>“They’re just cameras, don’t worry about them,” he said, but decided to let go anyway. “Sorry, Lud. It’s just been way too long.”</p><p>The same grimace smile he’d gotten so used to made itself known on Ludwig’s face. “You may be right, Alfred, but I think it is beyond the cameras. You might want to look behind us.”</p><p>Oh no. Following his gaze, the prince noticed the owlish eyes of his Chosen peer at him from the massive windows on the second floor of the palace. Right, that was the biggest difference compared to the last time he’d visited briefly in the summer. “Aha...haha, yeah, you’re kinda right, Lud. Sorry.”</p><p>“Don’t worry, I’m sure that the tabloids will not be concerned of our relationship,” Ludwig said whilst the two of them decided to rejoin the other group. “It is just that you might need to comfort some confused hearts later tonight.”</p><p>“Aww, Lud, you can do that for m-”</p><p>“Katya, Yao, Matthew, thank you for awaiting our arrival,”</p><p>“Welcome to Spades, Ludwig,” the three royals said, bowing in greeting, Alfred hastily following suit. Wait crap, he’d forgotten to say hi to the Jack and the Ace.</p><p>Once that was done, though, Yao invited everyone to come back inside, him leading, Katya and Matthew walking behind in a pair, Lovino and Feli in another, and Alfred and Ludwig bringing up the rear.</p><p>“Still think they’re going to be a couple, Alfred?”</p><p>“C’mon, there’s no need to pick on your awesome and heroic best friend like that. And hold up, did you just make a <em>joke</em>?”</p><p>Patting at his slicked back hair to make sure not a strand of hair was out of place, Ludwig snorted and conveniently ignored his self awarded titles, thought they were completely valid. “I’m not doing anything of that sort, Alfred. You know. I thought you would be excited since they’re walking as a pair together.”</p><p>“Hey, you’re the one who brought it up, not me!” he was trying not to laugh, twisting his face in a dumb expression that he hoped the cameras wouldn’t catch. Maybe Katya and Matt were having an excellent conversation. It was kinda stupid to feel how much he relaxed around Ludwig’s company, anyway. “Maybe <em>you’re </em>more invested in it than I am.”</p><p>“Matthew’s still young, and plenty eligible. He’ll be better suited for a Deciding of his own later, no?”</p><p>“Nah, he’s not interested.” he said as they continued to walk. Alfred closed the door behind them and the cameras that followed their path, leaving the carriage and their attendants to shut the gates of the palace. “We talked about it a little earlier, and he’s just the same old Matt. Don’t think it’s going to happen unless a miracle does.”</p><p>“Him starting a Deciding or finding love?”</p><p>“Starting a Deciding. With how hands on and stuff he’s with the Inner Circle, I wouldn’t be surprised if something started there.”</p><p>A moment passed. A shadow flitted onto Ludwig’s face, so briefly that if Alfred didn’t know him so well he wouldn’t be able to catch it. “Ah.”</p><p><em>Wait. I mean, there’s no way. He doesn’t think that- </em>Before Alfred could ask on the possibility of something he didn’t know about his twin, Yao was speaking about going to the dining hall directly. Right, they were a little bit behind schedule.</p><p>“Ludwig? I hope things are all right.” Katya was looking behind her shoulder at them. Oops. Alfred had forgotten that he’d want to hear from her about Gilbert. “You two were talking up quite the storm back there.”</p><p>“Sorry, Katya...”</p><p>“No need to look like that, Alfred,” she said, reaching up to pat his head. Nudging at the direction of Yao, she briefly indicated that the Jack was in need of his presence before falling back into step with Ludwig.</p><p>Unable to contain his anticipation, he blurted out his question. “How is Gilbert these days? Keeping himself out of trouble?” He, along with every other Primary Suit member, had immense respect for her, but he couldn’t quell the fact that he missed his older brother more than he would like to admit. With Feli and Lovino, and now Alfred and Matthew, being surrounded by brothers being each others’ steadfast companions felt suffocating at times.</p><p>“Yes, he is doing well. He is due to be arriving with the Diamonds group tomorrow, I believe – and asks about you regularly. He did,” she chuckled lightly to herself upon seeing Ludwig’s expression, “mention that there were several brands of Diamonds beer he’d be eager to try out with you.”</p><p>“I’ll have to scold him later, but...thank you for looking out for him in my stead.”</p><p>Up at the front, Yao was lightly scolding Alfred for rushing up to Ludwig like his dog Hero every time he went back to his office, whilst Matthew conveniently walked next to the Vargas brothers and made small talk with them. Nothing wrong with letting Yao do the chewing out.</p><p>“Rushing up like that was childish of you.”</p><p>“Uh huh, Yao.” In typical Al fashion, he wasn’t listening. Fighting back a sigh, he continued to listen to the Jack babble about a watercolour he was thinking of painting once he got home. “Sorry, Yao.”</p><p>“I do hope you’re aware that you’re <em>the </em>most eligible royal in Cards right now, so be aware of your conduct.”</p><p>“...You said you were planning to use the yellow paints, right, Feli?” Matthew made a point to speak extra loudly. He caught his exasperated glare over his shoulder and couldn’t hold back a snort. “I hear Diamonds boasts some excellent pigment collection around the spring.” To be honest, he had no idea what he was talking about, but anything to annoy Alfred.</p>
<hr/><p>“We’ll be eating with the Chosen, if you don’t mind,” was the voice cue for the last few Chosen who hadn’t scattered back into the Drawing Room to do so, and pretend like they hadn’t been staring through the windows for far too long.</p><p>Arthur had been sitting with his usual posse, listening to Sakura divulge more details about the Primary Suit of Hearts, since she was knowledgeable about the region. Though foolish, he’d secretly hoped that Kiku would be invited, but perhaps it was unrealistic to have so many more people in the palace at one time, accounting for the fact there were <em>three </em>Decidings going on in a year, which was unprecedented.</p><p>“Well, I believe that His Highness was lucky when the mark appeared on the Jack.”</p><p>“Huh? Like, how so? Don’t they get to choose?”</p><p>“They are unfortunate that the last decision is with the Fates even during a Deciding,” Sakura was saying to Leon and Emma as the doors opened and everyone rose to greet Jack Yao.</p><p>After they finished doing their usual bows, and everyone attempted to pretend they weren’t anxiously waiting to get a glimpse of the Hearts royals, Jack Yao clapped his hands twice to grab their attention, which was not particularly necessary. “Chosen, thank you for waiting so patiently. The Hearts Primary Suit have now arrived, and we will be dining with them tonight. Please line up as you usually do, and follow me. I expect your usual exemplary behaviour.”</p><p>Falling into step beside Leon, with Sakura and Emma pairing up in front of them as usual, the buzz was palpable even from the short walk to the dining room.</p><p>“Where’s...” He could hear someone in the back trail off, probably now conscious that Jack Yao could hear every little snippet they were saying.</p><p>“Probably already sitting down.”</p><p>“Wonder where they’re going to sit? Near us?”</p><p>That question was answered when they entered to see the Hearts royals, Joker Katya and Alfred and Matthew sitting at the front of the table, three blue chairs inconspicuously swapped for a shade of light pink. Yao greeted them as they sat down, the Chosen all shuffled to their seats doing their best to not peer at them, then dinner proceeded as normal, only with everyone’s seats being shifted down a few rows.</p><p>Inbetween meals or quiet talking with the star struck Emma and Leon; Arthur couldn’t help but take a few glances of his own. From his studies, he’d always thought the King of Hearts to be a uptight fellow, but he seemed relaxed as he spoke to his husband, the Jack of Hearts, who was eating with almost as much enthusiasm as Dylan did every time they afforded sweets to bring home. The Ace demeanour was unchanged from when he saw him at the square on the day he came to the palace. He remembered from when the Ace would be on the news that he seemed like someone who preferred his own company, but even he looked comfortable speaking to Joker Katya and Jack Yao whilst they ate.</p><p>Leon cleared his throat, and that caused him to shake himself and pick up his spoon and get back to work on his soup. Risking a side glance to his friend, he realised that the warning might not be for him, but for Emma.</p><p>“Calamari soup for your thoughts?”</p><p>“Huh? Leon, wha-” Sakura and Arthur exchanged giggles at her bewildered expression. “Oh! I mean, why wouldn’t you look?”</p><p>“I think you should want to keep your voice a little quieter, Emma,” Sakura mumbled, quickly cupping a hand over her own mouth – from the way she was looking at the front of the table, they might have attracted some unwanted attention.</p><p>Arthur daren’t look. “Quick, back to eating,” he hissed, and the four of them did their best to pretend as if they hadn’t all been staring like everyone else. Thankfully, no terrifying footsteps followed where they were sitting, other than a cameraman walking past that almost made him jump ten metres in the air.</p><p>It was only until they’d finished the main meal and were talking lightly amongst themselves waiting for dessert that he dared to peek once more. Matthew was speaking with Ace Lovino, Jack Feliciano was gesturing animatedly with his hands to Jack Yao and Joker Katya, and Alfred and King Ludwig were talking to one another. Their heads were close together, and Alfred was grinning, looking much happier than Arthur had seen him the last few days. With having to organise so many things at the same time, it wasn’t surprising that he’d been feeling bogged down.</p><p>A pang went through his heart that he tried to ignore. Perhaps they had been moving too fast in their relationship, if he himself couldn’t provide the same sort of comfort to Alfred. And with all the pain he’d already caused him...</p><p>“Yeah, I’ve been giving them lessons,” he heard him speak out of his peripheral hearing. “We had to move the party to Sunday, since everyone else is so busy...”</p><p>“You are going to quite a few lengths for them,” King Ludwig sounded impressed. “It’s good that you are doing so. And the ball was a good idea, for both television and everyone to unwind. I wonder if Francis will let Lili dance on everyone’s toes again.”</p><p>“I dunno, I guess she’s getting a little too old for that,” Alfred replied. The two of them exchanged a grin as they spoke. “Knowing Francis, he’ll go all papa and only let himself and Eliza do it.”</p><p>“And Vash. Perhaps even the new Ace.”</p><p>“And Vash, but that kinda doesn’t need saying, and maybe. But yeah, it’s cause of Matt we could afford to do this stuff.”</p><p>“Don’t discount yourself,” Ludwig said. “Every week you seem more busy than usual, yet I will say watching your Deciding has been very entertaining. More than mine.”</p><p>“Hey, Lud, that’s cause of the Fates and stuff.” Arthur had stopped taking nervous sips of his water at this point, and was essentially eavesdropping and barely noticed the desserts being placed on the carts at the very back of the room. “So that’s not your fault!”</p><p>“Hm. Anyone special caught your eye?”</p><p>“H-Huh?” Arthur listened with bated breath. “Anyone...special? Like someone who stands out? Do <em>you </em>have a favourite?”</p><p>“Feli and I have been taking favourites, actually,” Ludwig sounded amused at his friend’s sudden flustered state. “Lovino has – at least, Feli says he does, but he won’t speak to me about it, so I will take his word for it. I won’t tell for fear of influencing you, though, if you don’t wish me to.”</p><p>Even with his head purposely turned away from the front of the table, he could hear the Jack chirp. “Ooh, are we talking about our favourites?”</p><p>“What? Oi, Feli, don’t reach over me-”</p><p>“I’ve been meaning to ask this of you, actually, but I <em>am </em>curious as to who you’re pulling for in the competition.”</p><p>“Matt, you too?! Wait, Katya, you don’t need to smile like that, I, uh, uh...Yao, c’mon!”</p><p>Arthur could practically sense the barely concealed smile of the Jack, remembering how he looked right before he teased Alfred like he usually did. “I apologise, but I must side with the prince. It may not be an appropriate conversation to have whilst the Chosen are in the same room with us, however.”</p><p>Noticing that practically everyone was looking in the direction of the royals, Arthur risked doing the same. It was a bizarre sight indeed – Feliciano reaching over his older brother and Katya to tune into Alfred and Ludwig’s conversation, and Matthew sidling up to his brother’s side in an exaggerated fashion. His face was completely red, matching the Hearts royals’ chairs.</p><p><em>C-Cute...</em>Arthur thought, despite himself. He chided himself by hitting his kneecap with the heel of his blue shoe, which gave him instant regret. At least it got that embarrassing thought out of his head.</p><p>“Ahaha! Yeah, you’re right as usual,” Alfred babbled vigorously, before his gaze shot to the dessert carts. Raising his voice, he continued to speak. “Hey! Let’s enjoy dessert first! Everyone, dessert!” to slightly confused acknowledgments of the Chosen seated further behind the front rows.</p><p>When the desserts – tiramisu, by the looks of it, Arthur had seen it multiple times in the city with Kiku on the weekends away from their holding facility – were rolling out, his attention was diverted. Despite seeing it, he’d never been able to bear buying the dessert since it was considered a premium.</p><p>“Let’s talk about it more later, Alfie,” Feliciano exclaimed as he settled back into the seat. “I have a list!”</p><p>There was a pause where he pawed around in his pockets, and then a pained cry. “I think I left it at home!”</p>
<hr/><p>Everything was in place – Yao had left thirty minutes ago for the Inner Circle docks to greet the Clubs royalty, Alfred had been conducting more lessons with the Chosen last time he checked, Katya was organising the last of the conference timings and the Hearts royalty were preparing their presentations for later in the day within the comfort of their guest rooms. That left Diamonds, and Matthew with two cameramen in the train station.</p><p>He didn’t wanted to ask Yao to spare too much manpower seeing that the train station had already been blocked off for the arrival, however he’d relented by allowing him to send two armed cameramen, wearing what looked like uncomfortably bulky gear to wait with him. The spring sun was warm on the blue tiles of the train station as the cameramen spoke between themselves and Matthew waited alone with baited breath.</p><p>The last time he’d managed to even see the Joker in person, not using their affectionate bird mail, was at the inauguration of Ace Antonio, a little over three months before the Deciding. That made it five months without Gilbert. Only the hard work that had went into making the Deciding possible had managed to keep the torment at bay.</p><p>A silver lining, though, was that he would be with the rest of the Diamonds royals. When Matthew himself had to undertake an internship for a month when he was crowned Ace as was customary, he’d chosen to visit them. He’d managed to have multiple conversations with Jack Vash and took in some of his fighting style with the lance, been treated to Queen Lili’s tea parties and even studied alongside her, and King Francis...</p><p>Almost immediately upon arriving, he’d taken it upon himself to ensure the process was a success. The sort of nurturing affection that he had taken for granted suddenly came back in the form of a king who was softer than his outward appearance had suggested. Perhaps it was the way that he’d tried to make the foreign palace as welcoming for a young Ace, or the way he’d personally supervised most of his lessons – either way, Matthew was indebted to him, and when Gilbert was assigned to aid Diamonds, he knew he was in good hands.</p><p>At the same time, Francis’s closeness with both him and Gilbert had the potential to be dangerous. Even after his internship in Diamonds had ended, the two had made active efforts to continue to be mentor and mentee, so he found it excruciatingly difficult to lie to him. Both of them had told him stories about when they were young princes and playmates, so there was no doubting their bond, either.</p><p>Taking another deep breath, he forced himself to tilt his glasses back up the bridge of his nose and look at the clear blue sky, barely visible on top of the rain guard. Why couldn't things be easier with their secret? Surely Francis, having lost his wife all those years in that epidemic, would understand?</p><p>As he was about to harshly reprimand himself for such a cruel thought, the red light on the far end of the track switched to green, indicating that the train was on its way. Immediately, he got up, the two cameramen who had been forgotten following suit and readying their equipment.</p><p>Sure enough, a rumble of the train that he usually heard when making his rounds through the Inner Circle signalled the appearance of the chrome yellow train utilised by the Diamonds royalty. He wished he could lose himself in the steam billowing in the station, though it irritatingly fogged up his glasses which he had to pause to wipe. Hoping the cameras wouldn’t catch him doing it carelessly on his waistcoat, he adjusted them again before reassuming a dignified pose to wait.</p><p>Francis emerged first, his blond hair tied up with a luxurious canary coloured ribbon and an large yellow flower pinned to his lapel. Lili, wearing her usual huge flower crown that threatened to dwarf her small figure, leapt out of the compartment, escorted by Vash, wearing an impeccable dark yellow suit and a hat with the same flower affixed to it. Antonio emerged last, wearing a jacket and tight fitting pants, complete with a sash bearing the symbol attached to the only complete Primary Suit in Cards.</p><p>Lili was the first to greet Matthew, as usual. Though she was only a few years younger than him, she was quite aware of the very unusual young age she’d chosen to ascend to the throne and unconsciously showed it with her usual shy enthusiasm. He was quite happy to kneel down a little and give her a huge hug, welcoming her to Spades.</p><p>“King Francis, <em>bienvenue à</em> Spades,” he said nervously as Lili went back to Vash’s side, linking hands with her knight. Having learned a bit of the rural Diamonds language when he was studying with them, he was eager to show his mentor that he still retained some usage of it.</p><p>“Oh? <em>Trés bien, </em>Matthew, <em>je suis content</em>! Thank you, my dear,” Francis smiled, giving him a quick squeeze at his nervous flush; he’d been practising it for weeks when time permitted. “I hope we did not make you wait too long. Is dear Yao with the Clubs royals?”</p><p>“Not at all – and yes, he’s fetching them now. Jack Vash, welcome to Spades,” they shook hands and exchanged nods before Lili tugged his hand once again and they parted ways, leaving one more person. “Antonio, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve been eager for our meeting since we began our correspondence.”</p><p>At this, Antonio broke into a beam and vigorously shook his hand. Just like the rest of the Diamonds royals, it blinded him so much he felt like he had to squint. “So have I! It’s wonderful to meet you for the first time, Matthew! You look well.”</p><p>“With all the Deciding preparations, I’m actually quite surprised.” Matthew said. He couldn’t mess it up now. Had Gilbert decided to somehow find a way to not come? “Er, is there-”</p><p>“Yes, yes, he’s on his way out of the compartment, not to worry,” Francis chuckled, noticing his protégé’s expectant gaze at the train – Matthew and Gilbert’s ‘friendship’ was common knowledge, so it was not enough to raise alarm bells. Noticing that Antonio was talking with the other royals, he leaned down to whisper in Matthew’s ear. “I walked in on them,” gesturing lightly to Lili and Vash, “Drawing various animals with some sketchbooks she’d brought with her, and trying to draw the cutest one. He came in, and he managed to make a mess by knocking over all the colouring supplies. How silly, no?”</p><p>“I see,” Matthew smiled, “But why not ask Vash or Lili to help clean up, eh?”</p><p>“My dear Matthew, do you truly expect me to ask the apple of my eye, my beloved daughter, to clean up after herself? I think we are past that phase already,” Francis replied haughtily, but he could tell it was in all good fun. “No, no, I jest, as you know me. As for Vash, I would prefer to not have a fi – ah, Gilbert, my friend, there you are!”</p><p>Barely daring to breathe, Matthew watched as Gilbert emerged, with his red and black jacket and even worse grin. Had he forgotten to button up the top two collars of his polo? <em>Don’t look.</em> <em>You can’t look</em>.</p><p>Matthew looked. Fates, he <em>looked</em>. Those pale eyes he’d looked at countless times, the exposed collarbone that he’d placed kisses on, the soft hair that he’d run his hands through so many times, even the tiny bird that he’d opened plenty of tiny letters from. God, he wanted to drink in the sight until he suffocated. Gilbert. Gilbert Gilbert Gilbert.</p><p>He was standing there like a petrified statue, but then again, so was he. “Joker Gilbert, welcome to Spades.” he said quickly, waiting for Francis to step aside before he shook his hand for the cameras. <em>Let go</em>, he thought to himself, but all words died in his throat after he gazed into his eyes and the Diamonds royals, the cameramen, the whole train station seemed to fall away, leaving the tiles underneath their feet and each other. There was the same smug expression, but laced with a hint of longing. <em>Say something! Anything!</em></p><p>“Thanks, Matthew, it’s awesome to be back after so long, and for a Meeting, too! Sorry for my lateness, <em>someone</em>,” he glared at Francis, who merely winked, “said I needed to do some clean up. Alright, should we go? I’d hate to be beaten to the castle by the Clubs royals!”</p><p>“Yes, of course, right this way to the carriage,” Matthew said. Walking quickly, he led the group with Francis and Antonio, Lili and Vash and the cameramen following right behind. Perhaps it was uncouth for him not to be walking with the king, but as the public were aware of their shared history, it could be easier to pass off Gilbert walking next to him as merely a natural delicacy. As was custom, the Primary Suit of each kingdom arrived in one large carriage, meaning he couldn’t even have that opportunity to be with him.</p><p>“Psst. Birdie,” he muttered underneath his breath, and it took practically all of his strength to not grasp at his jacket and kiss him senseless, so much so he forgot to chide him about his bizarre nickname. Hearing his voice after so many months made him want to fall to his knees. “You doing okay?”</p><p><em>I want to hold you. </em>“Yes, I’m doing fine, Gil,” Matthew answered, hoping that he couldn't see the tremble in his knuckles. Fates, he was so close. If only he reached out and their hands brushed awkwardly once more, he felt as if the contact could sustain him until they entered the palace and had a moment of time alone with one other. “I...”</p><p>“Y-Yeah?”</p><p>“Gilbert,” he breathed, and with his heart pounding in his ears he could barely hear him exhale, the sound ragged and strained. The both of them were already holding back. “Fates, Gilbert, I...”</p><p>“I know,” he replied, his voice carefully disguised. “It’s goddamn torture. I just want to...”</p><p>Fighting back a snort, Matthew moved his head in a barely detectable nod which couldn’t be seen by anyone except him, given their proximity. “You know what’ll happen if you tell me about them at length, because barely anything is stopping me from actually doing them.”</p><p>Breaking into a shit eating grin, Gilbert stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Me too, Birdie.”</p><p>“<em>Matthew</em>.”</p><p>“Matt<em>hieu</em>,” he teased, before raising his voice. “Just like how Francis says it sometimes, right?”</p><p>“Hm? You two were speaking about me? Do go ahead!”</p><p>“No, Francis – not r-” all complaints faded away once Gilbert gave him a deliberate look, “All right, perhaps a bit. I’d prefer it to Deciding talk, anyway.”</p><p>Ha, an even juicier topic for the cameramen to capture. He silently thanked Alfred’s wonderful contest for the even better deflection. With how much the Joker had blinded his senses, he realised that speaking on such topics was far too reckless – one conversation would be all it took to bring them both to ruin.</p><p>Lili’s head bobbed up from the back, the yellow irises in her flower crown doing the same. For a moment, he forgot that they were an amplifier for her weak magic, as the way they moved was eerily realistic. “Deciding talk?”</p>
<hr/><p>“And with that, the three hundred and eighty four annual Meeting may commence!” Yao, being the master of ceremonies, concluded his speech. With him being the highest ranking royal in Spades, he along with the three other kings and the two Jokers paused for a photo opportunity of the opening ceremony, then the rest of the other royals came in a final photo. No one had objected to Alfred’s inclusion, anyway.</p><p>The cameras flashed, the Chosen clapped politely and the few dignitaries that had been invited did the same. What with all four kingdoms gathered in their palace and having to finish so many tasks in one day, he was exhausted.</p><p>That was not all, though, as he returned to his podium. “I would like to take this time whilst everyone is fresh for their respective conferences to remind you that the schedule for the day will be displayed at eight in the morning, every day. Please, do go there if you are confused about rooms and whatnot. I would also like to urge all participants to attend the,” the Jack flipped his page, “celebratory ball to be hosted at Sunday night. Ace Matthew, Joker Katya and Prince Alfred have all worked extremely hard for this celebration to occur, so we all hope to see you there.”</p><p>Being met with equal enthusiasm, he signed off. From all his years of public speaking, it did indeed manage to become easier. It was past curfew now being ten at night, and he urged the Chosen to get to their rooms as soon as possible whilst everyone else dispersed for the night.</p><p>Saying a quick goodnight to Matthew and Alfred, he took a moment to confer briefly with Francis on who would make the first speech of the conference regarding preservation of cultural property, then took another to speak with the Diamonds royals, who he didn’t have time to talk with during their initial arrival. Finally, he spoke with Roderich and Elizabeta and asked after their daughters before exiting the bustling Broadcast stage.</p><p>With that all out of the way, he limped to his office, untying his hair from its ponytail and collapsing on his chair. Thankfully a steaming pot of herbal tea was awaiting him that he forgot he’d requested earlier, which he gulped down eagerly, wincing at his carelessness with it’s heat. Today had been a long day.</p><p>That was, at least, not taking into account that for him, his night had barely started.</p><p>Whilst recharging with his tea, he once again went through the temporary rooming for all the new visitors. With all the people, he’d managed to step up security around the Chosen’s rooms, as well as all the staying royals who slept on the first floor. They’d come this far to Spades; it would be beyond a disaster if the rebels struck in the palace for the first time during this week.</p><p>Why was his heart beating so fast? He was on home turf. He knew exactly where everyone was, who everyone was, everything to do and what would happen over the next few days. But as the clock slowly ticked to past twelve in the morning, Yao found his shaking hands placing down his teacup and locking his door. His maids knew that he sometimes slept in his office, so the Jack closing it for the night was nothing out the ordinary. What he was about to do next, though, was.</p><p>Kneeling underneath his metal drawer and pressing his palm to where he kept most of his personal records, he muttered an all too familiar incantation painfully slowly; as to delay what he knew would happen next, even though another side yearned to make it happen as soon as possible. Invitingly, the wall facing the side of the cabinet melted backwards to reveal a hatch and a staircase behind it.</p><p>Adjusting his coat so that it wouldn’t make any unnecessary noise, Yao shut it, spoke the same incantation which rippled through the empty walls that sealed the door, and then descended to the first floor.</p>
<hr/><p>Morning came, and still no blue note asking Arthur to visit Alfred for a dance lesson, and nothing from a troubled Anna, either. When coming down to the Drawing Room alone before breakfast, he noticed only Sakura sitting in the usual couch where the four of them sat.</p><p>“I think they have both been invited today,” she told him as soon as he bowed in greeting. “Have you received a note?”</p><p>Looking both sides to see if anyone was paying attention, which they were thankfully not due to the fact that they were too busy watching the coverage of Diamonds and Clubs airing on the news, Arthur shook his head.</p><p>She tried to comfort him with a sympathetic smile, but he knew she had already gotten her lesson and almost certainly excelled in it. They managed to strike up a conversation about the Hearts royals once more, but the nagging voice of doubt had ballooned to one taunting him about his imminent elimination. With all the new people, and more things to do for the Meeting, the chance of getting one on one time with Alfred was slipping away.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I seem to really have abandoned the idea of 3k word long chapters, oops</p><p>Please leave your thoughts/feedback/criticism/interaction! :) I'd dearly love to know what you think, and it's a huge motivator for me - I treasure every comment I get.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Act 26</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter turned out to be *9,500* words after editing, so I really have gone and thrown out the idea of a consistent 3,000 chapter out the window...forgive me please. A lot of stuff happens this chapter, and the story's moving a bit slow, so I didn't want to split this up into three chapters :")</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So, first things first, thank you for all being on time this morning,” Ludwig was saying during the first meeting of the day. There had been two last night, both which Alfred was luckily excused from as he was giving dancing lessons to Lady Marianne and Emma, neither of which really needed them but was some good footage for the cameras nonetheless. He’d gotten to hear about the dresses they were preparing for the occasion, and managed to even joke about the party for a little bit before their thirty minutes was up. Starting today, however, he’d have to get to the holding facility members. First, Sir Thomas and Alfonso – knowing they were friends, they probably would have liked to go together. Lunch, two (hopefully short) meetings, feeding Hero, then Lady Avie, then there was another meeting he’d have to sit through, then hopefully Arthur after dinner-</p><p>“Alfred? You <em>are </em>our equal in everything but name, you know.” Oops. It seemed that even with Elizabeta, he was the same old grumpy Roderich, who cleared his throat. “Please, at least let Ludwig know that you are present.”</p><p>“Uh, right. Present.”</p><p>“Alright, that concludes the roll call.” Chancing a glance around the room, everyone was seated in their usual positions, with the hosting kingdom sitting at the last section of the U shaped circle. There were the two royals of Hearts and the currently presenting Ludwig, the four Diamonds royals, including the new Ace guy, the Clubs and...ugh, <em>Ivan</em>, and Matthew and Yao on his left. The Jokers were seated with their current kingdoms, with Gilbert sitting next to Francis and Katya sitting next to Yao. “Does anyone have any pressing issues that need to be addressed before we start with the scheduled topics today?”</p><p>There was the familiar sound of papers rustling. No one spoke. “Alright. Well, I’ll start with the first item on our list, concerning Diamonds and their topic of their newly crowned Ace and the matter of his internship. Francis, if you would?”</p><p>The two kings exchanged a few words as they passed one another, before Francis took his place on the podium. Though Alfred had seen him drink a few glasses of wine last night, he didn’t seem like he had overdone it. “Thank you. Everyone, as you may know, according to tradition our Ace must undergo a year of internship, and after much debate he has optioned it for later this year, around after the summer solstice.”</p><p>Nods were exchanged; nothing out of protocol with that. Other than the fact that Feli looked exceptionally tired and on the verge of falling asleep, but nothing new there.</p><p>“Excellent. Now, I will invite him to speak regarding his choices that were submitted to him after I requested.”</p><p>From what Matthew had told him after Antonio was elected to the position, the thing he had been known for was being the playmate of Francis and Gil when they were young, hence rumours that that was why he was chosen for the job. However, he didn’t look incapable or foolish when he made his way to the podium, a small notebook in his hands and began to speak.</p><p>“First of all,” he said, casting his gaze around the room, taking a moment to look at both kings and Yao. When his gaze met Alfred’s he couldn’t help but feel happy that he was still included. At the same time, why did all the Diamonds have such a blinding smile? Ring ring, the sun wanted its radiance back. “I’m very grateful by all the offers that have been given to me, as well as everyone’s kindness. However, after much discussion with my Primary Suit, I have decided on the kingdom’s invitation that I would like to accept.”</p><p>The formal talk was kinda boring Alfred already, and it was nine in the morning.</p><p>“But Yao, I thought we discussed about not-”</p><p>“Not to worry,” the two of them were whispering in very quiet tones, something he probably couldn’t replicate. “Francis knows that we didn’t work hard on our proposal this year for obvious reasons. I daresay Antonio is aware of that as well.”</p><p>“Hearts,” Nodding once at the three royals, Antonio beamed. Even Feliciano, probably the closest thing to a ray of sunshine they had, squinted. “May I enquire further on your offer?”</p><p>No one looked particularly surprised by his choice – Hearts’s Deciding was different in terms of excitement. After a certain amount of training, there was nothing to do after they picked what they thought was the best candidates for the job and waited for the Fates to decide. The stakes in Spades were drastic – Alfred had always wanted a Deciding, and the event was still being plastered all over televisions and newspapers in Cards. As for Clubs, they were having one too, but it didn’t seem romantic or anything. Come to think of it, he hadn’t really paid attention to theirs.</p><p>Then again, who would wanna intern in a kingdom that had – ugh, Ivan – in it?!</p><p>“Thank you, Antonio, we are very honoured by your choice,” Ludwig said. “However, I believe that Lovino, our Ace, should be the one to speak about it. He has worked very hard on our proposal.”</p><p>The shock on Lovino’s face was unmistakable. “Ludwig,” he mumbled, sounding very different than the spiteful tone he used exclusively for the king, Alfred had heard Ludwig huff about it several times. “Are you sure that-”</p><p>“Lovino, you’ve almost singlehandedly done the groundwork for this project.” his tone was stern. “It wouldn’t be right if anyone else presented it.”</p><p>With a bit more chiding from the now fully awake Feliciano, Lovino exhaled once and stood up, warily facing Antonio who was waiting with expectant eyes. “Well. As my king has said, we would be more than happy to receive you as soon as our Deciding concludes. Fates willing, literally.”</p><p>“Is there a time estimate?” Vash asked, raising a pen to catch the Ace’s attention.</p><p>“As we’re left to the whims of our Fate, I can’t give you a solid one, but at its current pace and examining past competitions, it shouldn’t be past November.”</p><p>“Really?!” Roderich and Elizabeta exchanged amused looks at his blatant excitement, one that almost mirrored Alfred’s own. “Oh sorry. I mean, right! Whenever works for you, Lovino.”</p><p>“What? No, not just for me.” It looked like to him as if he were biting at his cheek to not throw out an insult. “We have a Deciding going on, like everyone else here.”</p><p>“Not here, dear Lovino. I am not sure about Ivan’s, but-”</p><p>“Francis, what the hell did you just call me?” The vein was practically beating out of his forehead as soon as the King of Diamonds spoke. Right, without the profanity and the bickering with him, he wasn’t really Lovino, but the sudden change was kinda...funny. “I am the <em>Ace </em>of <em>Hearts</em>, not whatever you’re trying to call-”</p><p>“But you surely must know that I call everyone that, what’s the problem?”</p><p>“The fact that it’s coming out of <em>your </em>mouth! I’m trying to give a presentation, and here you are with-”</p><p>“We’re <em>listening</em>,” Vash said acridly, elbowing Francis lightly. The guy was probably pleased that they could save their budget on not having to scout the other kingdoms. Then again, he <em>was</em> the one that came up with the joke about having supposed ‘trade deficits’ for not hosting what would be a pointless Deciding. “Please go on, Lovino.”</p><p>By then, however, Alfred was daydreaming about the rest of his day, and how he was gonna help inexperienced people dance when he wasn’t really good at it himself.</p><hr/><p>Arthur woke up to his face being stuffed in his bear’s soft stomach, one leg tossed over his ruffled blankets, and Anna standing teasingly over him.</p><p>“Good morning, Sir Arthur,” she sang, and he could just about see a blurry envelope in her hand, though with the speed she was waving it around he couldn’t make out the colour. “Got a good rest? Were you interested in breakfast?”</p><p>“I...erm...oh, I’m so sorry,” he mumbled, pawing at his face and clearing his eyes of sleep dust before sleepily facing her. “Yes, I am, apologies. I – we were dismissed late last night.”</p><p>The corners of her lips crinkled into a smile. “No worries, I heard that the dinner started late last night. Would you like your usual, then?”</p><p>“If that’s all right.” Realising he was still cuddling his bear – thankfully, only his maid knew that he slept with it daily – he quickly put it underneath his bed sheets and covered it up to its chin. He hadn’t written a response to Kiku yet, and with the starting of the new school year his family was probably busy. Who else would send him something...was it... “Anna, is the envelope-”</p><p>Almost like she had been waiting for him to ask her, she shot forward, her brown eyes sparkling. “Mhm! Open it, open it! It’s blue! And probably from the prince!”</p><p>Blinking a few more times, he leaned forward and realised that it was indeed blue – probably blending in with the general colour of the room. Yet the cynic in him had to ask, “Did he come deliver it to you this morning?”</p><p>“Well...well, no,” she said, deflating a little, but quickly regained her composure. “But he’s very busy with Meeting things this week, so he might not have had the time!”</p><p>That was a fair point, but for the sake of his pride he wouldn’t exactly say it. Leaning forward to take it from her, he paused as she made a playful expression, one he’d now gotten used to seeing, and motioned at his hands. Exhaling once, he cupped them together and held them out as if he was at church praying to the Fates. She promptly put the letter in his hands with a tiny wink. “Go on, then! Whilst I get your breakfast...”</p><p>“Oh, er, it’s all right if you wanted to stay,” Two months, almost two and half with her meant that he had started to get to understand her a little more. Disguising her excitement wasn’t one of her strong traits, though she had many. In some ways, she reminded Arthur of Erin – the enthusiasm, her optimistic nature, even the way she looked out for him was similar to that of an older sibling. He’d have to ask more about her family when he got the chance, he thought as she pulled up a chair to sit in front of him.</p><p>“To Sir Arthur,” he said. The writing was clearly not his and probably a template, seeing said busy prince wouldn’t have time to handwrite all his notes to all his Chosen, given there were twenty of them still here. “I am writing to request your presence at the main hall tonight after dinner, to give you some assistance regarding dancing at the upcoming ball. As this is compulsory, you may not need to attend,”</p><p>“Like that would happen,” Resting her chin on her palms, she looked incredibly smug. Arthur snorted, acknowledging her truthful comment, before continuing. “But if you do not wish to have this lesson, do let me know as soon as possible. Please bring a pair of gloves if you do wish to attend. Best regards, Prince Alfred.”</p><p>“Aw,” she remarked as Arthur carefully folded the note back into its small envelope. “Gotta say, that was painfully short. I mean. You are going, right?”</p><p>He nodded once and got up from his position on his bed, uncrossing his legs. Taking one look at the mirror behind him, he grimaced at the sight of his hair. “I’d be a fool not to, I think.”</p><p>“Precisely! All right, with that excitement about the way, I should probably go and fix your breakfast, eh? I’ve already eaten mine,” she said once Arthur started to ask about her as he usually did every morning. “So no worries, you can leave it up to me! I’m also getting your suit ready, so don’t worry about that. I’ll bring down the gloves too.”</p><p>“Thank you for all your hard work,” he said, giving her a tiny thumbs up. “Apologies for being busy these few days. I hope the mess hasn’t been too terrible.”</p><p>“Nonsense. Nothing wrong with you doing all that reading, it hasn’t been a problem at all.” she said, returning the gesture in a way that made him self conscious – did he really hunch his shoulders and stick out his head when he stuck out his thumbs? “Though it’s nice to see all your planning and research about the dancing. Do you think it’s helped?”</p><p>“They’re – oh, bollocks,” Arthur’s hand flew from his bird’s nest of hair to his mouth. Had she managed to catch a glimpse of the titles that he was borrowing? Sure, he may not have technically been allowed to the library, but as everyone was busy, he may have snuck in and borrowed a few books about the art of dancing, balls, and whatever social life of a member of the Inner Circle would contain, after the reprimand from the Jack. “You didn’t happen to see...”</p><p>Stopping from where she was about to exit his room, she folded her arms. “Sir Arthur, I clean your room practically daily,” she said, still wearing the same smug expression. “There’s no embarrassment about reading up on etiquette. Heck, when I was hired from the countryside, I did a lot of reading like yours.”</p><p><em>Ah, so she lived in the countryside, </em>Arthur thought, shelving the information later – it would probably be a better conversation when it wasn’t so bloody early in the morning. Unlike before, though, she didn’t look awkward whilst divulging more about her background, a sentiment he shared. “I see...so it’s commonplace?”</p><p>“It shows you’re working hard, at least to me. I’ll be back in a moment,” and with that she was off.</p><p><em>Working hard</em>? He only allowed himself to think about it after the door closed. Labelling his actions like that hadn’t really occurred to him. Perhaps he was actually trying now, which simultaneously reassured and frightened him. He’d always thought as if he’d be trying hard at his studies, or working at a mage association by now, but striving to impress someone the likes of the <em>Prince</em> of <em>Spades</em>...</p><p>Especially accompanied by the thought that he could be sent home at any time, the little cynic that had always resided in his head seemed to puff out its chest and make itself known when it came to Alfred specifically. He wasn’t particularly fond of the bugger, but had to admit that even the cynic was trying to protect him. Mostly.</p><p>But, with this note, his expectations of his elimination were called into question again. The disappointed look he’d given him had told him something, but then this blue note told him something else. It wasn’t his fault that Alfred wasn’t able to make time – amongst Kings, Queens, Jacks, Aces and Jokers and the other Chosen – for a single member that was probably more divisive than what was considered normal at this stage.</p><p>His attention drifted back to the note. Turning it around uncertainly, not sure what to do next, Arthur was once again certain that no amount of books nor research could prepare him for seeing Alfred again.</p><hr/><p>“Why do you think they’re attacking Diamonds the most, then? There hasn’t been any precise statements they’ve given us either.”</p><p>“It’s because we’re the only ones with a full Primary Suit, and have the most to gain if they do something drastic such as, Fates forbid, infiltrate our governments as they’d threatened before.”</p><p>Francis sighed, rubbing at his stubble. “That was then. Who knows if their mode of attack has changed, or even what they want? If they’d stop being only a passing nuisance. Then again, that’ll bring another layer of challenges.”</p><p>“It’s the strangest rebellion we’ve ever seen. The only thing we know is them wanting to be accepted as a separate kingdom of Jokers, but we’ve always been able to only have two on Cards at the same time!”</p><p>“We don’t know. For now, they’re still laying low in their hideout, but that’s all we know. That’s why we need to allow Alfred to sit in these meetings, in case things suddenly change.”</p><p>“Oh, is that the only reason?” Alfred clenched his jaw at Ivan’s remark, delivered by the infuriatingly cheerful expression on his face. Fates, he had been fucking with him all day, to the point where all the fun he had with Alfonso and Thomas’s dance lessons had completely disappeared.</p><p>“Ivan, please,” Elizabeta, by <em>far </em>his favourite member of the Clubs royalty, patted him on the arm. Besides Yao, who was in a meeting with all the Jacks and Aces regarding trade or something, she was the best to diffuse their less than amicable rivalry of sorts. “It will be a matter of time before he is king, and if he’s filled in earlier, it’ll make it easier for everyone. Understood?”</p><p>He could barely fight back a snicker as Ivan bent his head in acknowledgement, sounding as if he’d been reprimanded by a mother. The other kings and queens shuffled in their seats awkwardly, which made him feel a bit bad, but it wasn’t his fault that the Clubs king was a bit of an ass. He didn’t quite know why they never could quite see eye to eye, but as long as Ivan kept pushing he’d do the same.</p><p>After the two of them quietened down, Ludwig bent over to hiss something in Alfred’s ear. “Luckily your favourite advisorship wasn’t here to see that, or you’d be getting a chewing out.”</p><p><em>If only you knew. </em>Privately, he hadn’t hidden his disdain for them with his best friend, who was a fortress when it came to these things. With the other Primary Suit members, the Spades advisorship weren’t particularly popular either, but it still made him stiffen at the thought. “Y-Yeah,” he hissed back, trying to shrug it off.</p><p>“...right, well.” Elizabeta was picking up the conversation again. “Do you require any assistance on your end with the theft? Especially regarding Lili.” She placed her hand on her knee in what looked like an automatic gesture, but that didn’t surprise Alfred either.</p><p>From what he’d heard, after her mother, Jeanne, died from the sickness when she was still a toddler, Elizabeta had took into account their kingdoms’ relative closeness and the fact she was raising her eldest daughter at the same time to help take care of Lili alongside Francis and Vash when she could. She’d even looked out for Alfred and Matthew in a similar way. It looked like she’d assumed the same role for Ivan after his uncle was finally slain in a violent military campaign in the Easterns, but that had been some years ago. Had her influence really helped him?</p><p>For starters, he’d started the Deciding for some reason though he didn’t look particularly interested in marriage and it would just have been easier to just elect someone to the position, but perhaps he didn’t trust anyone enough except Roderich and Elizabeta? Katya couldn’t take up the position, with her being Joker and everything, so...</p><p><em>Crap. Is that sympathy for – ugh – Ivan? </em>He was largely tuned out to what the others were saying now; it was pretty common knowledge that geographically Spades was the farthest away from the Joker rebels’s hideout, and politically they had the least to gain from attacking. But wondering about his rival’s position, he thought as he glared at him from the corner of his eye, he realised how fortunate he was.</p><p>The kingdom wouldn’t be anywhere without Yao and Matthew, and even when he ascended to the throne it would be the same. Katya constantly assisted them all with their duties whilst excelling in her own, and he had friends all over the four kingdoms, as well as being well liked by his people, and been left a strong legacy from his parents. Ivan, on the other hand, seemed like the only choice after his uncle, and he hadn’t had nearly as much buzz about his Deciding compared to Alfred’s. He couldn’t say that most of the other royals had the same easy friendship with him either.</p><p>Was that because of his lack of popularity, or something else?</p><p>Lili’s voice was what woke him from his thoughts. “Alfred? You've gone very quiet,” she said, her voice echoing through the room like a tiny bell, “We don't have to talk about it if you don’t want us to.”</p><p>“Oh, uh, not at all, Lili,” he said, giving her his thumbs up. Oops. That kinda was a bad explanation. “Please, uh, do carry on. I’m not...super knowledgeable on this kinda stuff.”</p><p>“All right. You’ve been the one keeping tabs on the precious metals these few months. Anything you’d like to share?” Ludwig’s voice was gentle when speaking to the small queen – maybe the reason was that Francis was in the meeting, but also maybe the fact that everyone shared a mutual adoration for her.</p><p>She leafed through her hand written notes before speaking. “Well, um, we’ve been keeping an eye on the numbers and it doesn’t seem like there have been a lot of dis-rep-ancies,” she said. “It seems like the more guard presence around the area has made them go away for a bit.”</p><p>“Good work. Yes, she’s right; the increased presence seems to have delayed their previously consistent theft of the amplifiers. Best to save costs on those, as Vash says.”</p><p>“It’s pretty clear they don’t want anything to do with the people, anyway. From what little we know.”</p><p>“Correct. At the same time, though, their lack of physical action worries me more than it comforts. It at least suggests that they’re interested in infiltration more than huge actions.”</p><p>“That, or their leadership is scattered all over the place.”</p><p>Alfred shrugged; finally he had something to comment about. “I mean, if they were doing massive on scale assaults, we couldn’t have gotten everyone to visit. At least one member of every Primary Suit would have had to stay back. And as Eliza said before, we could be in a really bad spot if they’d started full on assaults, so their lack of preparation is to our benefit.”</p><p>“True,” Ludwig replied to that with a tilt of his head. “It’s best for all of us that they’re a passing nuisance. Though, Francis, Lili, I must ask – have they been targeting the nullifiers, per chance?”</p><p>“Erm, I don’t think they’ve been touching the supplies there.”</p><p>“Fair enough. That should rule out the mages as a target.”</p><p>“Mhm.” Ivan – ugh, <em>Ivan </em>– nodded cheerfully. “It’s not surprising that the rebels aren’t interested in throwing away what little magic they can use, right?” A ripple of laughter went around the group. “But if you have a problem with troops, we can provide them. If things get worse.”</p><p>Francis paused, looking at Elizabeta for confirmation. After she gave him a nod, he reached over the table to shake Ivan’s hand and that was that. “Thank you, Ivan. In terms of Diamonds, we now no longer have anything to present in terms of the Joker rebel movement, we have nothing else to say.”</p><p>With Hearts and Clubs having already presented what little they knew about the Joker rebel movement, Ludwig asked Alfred if there was anything on their end, which there obviously wasn’t.</p><p>“Right, excellent. We are a little ahead of schedule for the next meeting, so. I’ll see you all at the next meeting in,” he looked at the clock, “Thirty minutes. It’ll be in room three one six, as detailed on your schedules.”</p><p>Oops, Alfred had stuffed it down the inner pocket of his jacket, and tried to flatten out it so it didn’t look so crumpled. By Ludwig’s severe expression when he saw it, it didn't really work. What was with him and his schedules, anyway? Thankfully, as the one siting the closest to the exit, he managed to get out of there the fastest. Great, he could spend time with Hero before the next meeting!</p><hr/><ol>
<li><em>Hold your partner at an appropriate length, not too far but not too close as to not court scandal.</em></li>
<li><em>If either of you blunder, do your best to correct your mistake before anyone notices.</em></li>
<li><em>When using dance cards if requested by the host, tie them securely around your wrist and ensure they do not fall off.</em></li>
</ol><p>“Erm, Anna,” Arthur asked, fingers lingering on the page he was about to turn over. She was currently organising the clothing he was supposedly to wear on Sunday, and she peeked past his closet door to listen. “Do you know what a ‘dance card’ is?”</p><p>“A dance card? Oh, I think so, a little bit,” she replied. “Haven’t actually used one, but I have a fellow maid who once worked in the Inner Circle, and she told me a story about how everyone used one whilst going to balls and stuff. Basically, someone writes their name in a dance card if they want to reserve you for a specific dance, I think.”</p><p>“Oh, that makes sense, sort of. Thank you,” he said. Another thing for him to deal with. His dance card would probably be empty, but that was fine if he could discard it by the end of the night.</p><ol>
<li><em>Do not overly indulge in the foods at the ball in case of bloat. Highly recommended to eat a meal before leaving home. </em></li>
<li><em>If unfamiliar with the venue, find out where the bathroom is beforehand. </em></li>
<li><em>In the event of an injury, however slight, rest immediately. It is not worth the potential injury, and following embarrassment and excruciating pain, should something happen to you. </em></li>
<li><em>Bring a pair of gloves. If eating, be sure to remove them, but otherwise it would be best to have them on for the majority of the evening. </em></li>
</ol><p>He couldn’t help frowning at a few of the points as he continued reading. Fair enough, the guide was meant for high society and some concepts were foreign to him. Even with that expectation, too many things confused him. Why not just ask for a dance on the spot? Why not eat the food? Why did people attend these instead of just staying home and being in peace?</p><p>After reading up to point thirty, he decided that it wouldn’t magically teach him to dance. He’d managed, from the few diagrams it actually <em>had</em>, to pick up a few steps, but that was it, and he’d be careful to make sure no one else was in his room when practising them. The only thing he could do was copy all the etiquette that seemed like it had been eerily lifted from a handful of his favourite classical novels. Seems like some things never changed for the wealthy.</p><p>Looking at the clock, he realised he wasn’t thrilled about seeing where the first hand rested. Fates, twenty minutes until dinner started. One wary look at the barely open window showed the sun just about setting, confirming his nerves. Which meant, after dinner, it would be...</p><p>Suddenly, all the excitement from seeing him again dissipated. Anna, just having finished hanging his suit on the hanger noticed his tense fingers on the book he was reading and went over to him, pulling up a chair as she did so. “Arthur, you okay? You’re looking quite uncomfortable.”</p><p>“...Oh, Anna, I apologise, I was lost in my...” she looked at him sternly, as if to say <em>don’t try to dodge the question</em>, “...Yes. My lesson’s due for after dinner, and it’s already dark. I don’t know what’ll happen if I do the wrong thing, which I’m sure to do. With all the cameras and everything, I fear that the prince will dismiss me-”</p><p>He didn’t even realise he was shaking until she placed a hand on his shoulder. “Sir Arthur, I hope this makes sense, but I doubt that he will send you home based on the fact that you’re not really proud with your dancing skills.”</p><p>“But people are usually sent home after dances and whatnot-”</p><p>“Yes, but this is just a practise. At the real thing too, it wouldn’t matter if he really liked you, and I’m sure he does.” He searched her face, but there was nothing that didn’t betray sincerity. It crossed his mind to tell her, though he hadn’t told a single soul, about their kiss, but there was probably too much on her plate right now. “If you don’t want to dance too much on the night of the ball, I’m sure he’ll understand. Putting in an earnest effort is probably all that he’d like from you.”</p><p>“I...” He placed the blue invitation – which he had been using as a bookmark – into the page he was reading and gingerly closed the book. Twenty minutes left. He should get ready by making sure what he was wearing was presentable, since he was certain the encounter would be filmed. “Are you sure?”</p><p>Getting up from her chair and walking back towards her wardrobe, probably thinking the same thing as him, Anna nodded. “Yes, I’m sure! I’m going to help you go all the way, remember? I can only <em>help </em>you though, if you’d have a bit more confidence I’m sure that it would be easier.”</p><p>Giving her a shaky smile in return, Arthur followed her example and decided to help out with whatever she was doing, especially if it meant he had to pick out a set of clothes. He had an appointment to prepare for.</p><hr/><p>“Don’t worry, Vash, I’ve been keeping up with my sword training!” Alfred mumbled out the side of his mouth as he continued to cut into his carrots.</p><p>No, he hadn’t. It had been three months since he’d picked up his sword, but he should probably do it again soon. Was there such thing as a romantic sparring?</p><p>Currently, it seemed like everyone else was listening to whatever Feli was saying, so it was probably the best chance for the Jack to ask about his swordplay, which he hadn’t worked on for a while because of...you know. Even though Cards was at its most peaceful it had been for decades, it was to be expected that Vash, as a former captain of the guard, would still want to keep sharp. It wasn’t like they had many other overlapping interests, so it left that.</p><p>“Oh, really?” At least he sounded impressed. “Then, how say you we spar for a bit after dinner? The grounds aren’t occupied by the guards at present, correct?”</p><p><em>Shitshitshitshitshiiiit</em>. Though he himself was plenty strong, he couldn’t measure up to one of, if not the strongest, fighter in Cards, and that stern expression made him nervous. Thankfully, Yao came to the rescue, breaking away from another conversation to kindly remind both of them that Alfred was busy tonight.</p><p>“Ahaha, yeah that’s right! Sorry, Vash, we can do this later, right?” He took a sip of his soda, carefully disguised in a porcelain cup so it didn’t look like it unless you were sitting super close to him. “Mmf. Right!”</p><p>Back to his meal. The gurgling in his stomach, though, wasn’t because he was eating too fast or something, but the fact that he <em>was </em>busy tonight. The small conversation with the Jack had helped him forget about it temporarily, but it was now back with a vengeance. Dancing with Arthur...</p><p>Man. He had felt nervous when interacting with everyone else, but not like <em>this</em>. It wasn’t a problem if he really didn’t want to dance or wasn’t very good at it, but they hadn’t really spoken since they’d shared their first kiss. <em>Alfred’s </em>first kiss, but he didn’t need reminding from himself. Shh.</p><p>Ballroom dancing was something he’d only gotten to train in once he’d returned from the military, around two years ago. As a result, whilst Matthew was going around Spades, conducting research, drumming up support, as well as learning to dance excellently as part of the social life of the Inner Circle, he was only average. From Arthur’s comments, he wasn’t good at it either, but there wasn’t much they could do about that now other than their best. Cheesy, but it was true.</p><p>More importantly than his lack of experience, he wanted to ask him so many things, say so many things, do so many things, and just spend time with him, pretty much. Realising he’d finished his meal earlier than most of the royals sitting around, he risked a glance at Arthur who was sitting a little lower than he usually did. He looked happy, yet his meal was only half eaten and he seemed preoccupied talking to Sakura and Leon. Content to observe his happiness for awhile, he let his gaze flicker restlessly until Arthur suddenly turned around.</p><p>Their eyes met again in what had felt like forever. Caught off guard, his mouth was parted slightly in a soft <em>o</em>, annoyingly devoid of food stains or something Yao would usually tell him off for. Alfred watched his green eyes catch the light of the chandeliers as he looked back. All the embarrassing thoughts, the sensation of his hands resting on his chest, the faint scent of mint in his room, the sound his lips had made when they detached from his own, came flooding back. All of a sudden, it didn’t matter that there was only a few minutes between dinner and spending one on one time with him, he couldn’t stop wanting to be close.</p><hr/><p>“Stop staring, idiot,” Arthur mouthed, trying to shake his head discreetly. What was Alfred thinking, trying to look at him when every other royal from Cards was sitting with him, not to mention nineteen other Chosen <em>and</em> cameras? It didn’t seem to shake his starry eyed gaze, meaning he either didn’t hear it or chose to ignore it, and the longer it went on his resolve started to weaken further and further.</p><p>He didn’t miss him. He <em>didn’t</em>. Not those energetic blue eyes, or his steel glasses, or the sound of his laughter echoing in his dreams.</p><p>Everyone was looking at their direction anyway, and Arthur’s gaze managed to blend in, but the fact that he managed to catch his attention meant something else, standing out against the hubbub of the crowd. Abruptly – the exchange must have only lasted a few seconds before he was swept up in another conversation with the Queen of Clubs. Neither of his friends seemed to notice too much either, still finishing their meals.</p><p>Thinking that their brief interaction was over, he tried to continue eating, but not without chancing another glance at him. That was a huge mistake. At the same time, he realised that Alfred had had the same idea when their eyes met once more. It was such a simple action, something so unimportant that it shouldn’t have sent shivers down his spine, but it did. He had been smiling at something that Queen Elizabeta had been saying, and the exhilaration was infectious. It was just a glance. It wasn’t important. This competition wasn’t important.</p><p>So why did it make him feel this way, just by a simple look?</p><p>Forcing himself to tilt his chin high enough so the exquisite light of the chandeliers would drown out Alfred’s, he fought back whatever emotion that had started to bubble up to his surface. After dinner, he’d need to do his best to pick up whatever he could regarding dancing with a partner. Yes, that would mean that they’d get to spend time with each other, but he’d tackle that aspect later.</p><p>Risking one last glance at Alfred, who was now engrossed in conversation with the Clubs couple, he went back to his food but found that he could barely eat as much as he usually did, out of nervousness.</p><hr/><p>Much like the time they’d visited the library, Arthur dithered in the dining room until everyone had left – he’d explained briefly to his friends that he’d finally gotten his dancing lesson, to which they all responded to with excitement. Even if his relationship with him was at a focal point, being able to form bonds with someone else other than his family and Kiku meant a lot, though he wasn’t happy to demonstrate it outwardly for fear of losing his pride. Still, he managed to say goodbye to them before he sat awkwardly in one of the chairs, quickly explaining that he was scheduled to be with the prince when one of the servants asked to take it.</p><p>Inadvertedly, he started kneading his fingers back and forth in his palm, nervously watching where he was interacting effortlessly with the other royals. It was pretty obvious they adored him, from King Francis’s hair ruffling to Joker Gilbert’s arm slung over his shoulder. Practically everyone was clustered around him. How did it feel to be the person in the room that people rushed to talk to? Having that charisma and power was something he’d only be able to dream of, but with Alfred it seemed to come naturally.</p><p>The Queen of Diamonds, easily the smallest out of the group, turned around, peering to where Arthur was sitting. A hint of a smile appeared on her face as she turned back, scooted up to Alfred and tugged at his sleeve, whispering a few words to him before making her way back to her father. Whilst she did so, Alfred looked behind his shoulder, noticing him as well. Arthur raised his hand in greeting, careful to not look too imposing.</p><p>He wasn’t able to hear what he was saying from a distance, but he clearly said something to his fellow royals that caused them to exit the room with friendly greetings as they did so. Thankfully, none of them seemed to notice him sitting on the chair. Quickly getting to his feet when Alfred approached him, the first thing he did was bow in greeting. “Your Highness.”</p><p>“Sorry about the wait, Si – Artie,” it was funny to see how he changed so quickly once the royals were outside of the door. “Haven’t talked to them in ages, and with all the meetings and stuff today it’s been kinda frantic.”</p><p>“No, I understand completely. I...I hope you’re well? Since you’ve been working so hard?”</p><p>Alfred grinned; reminding him how easy it was to win him over...but why was it only with him specifically? “Yeah, I have! With all the lessons in between, I’m also super tired.”</p><p>“O-oh. If you’re too tired, we can postpone-”</p><p>“Nah, don't worry about it! Unless,” he sagged a little, “You don’t wanna do it? I mean, it’s not compulsory or anything.”</p><p>“No, I do,” Arthur blurted, a little too fast. “I mean. I’d like to. Of course. I even, er, brought my gloves.”</p><p>“Heh, you’re really that insecure about your skills?” Alfred was teasing, but there seemed to be an unspoken question behind it.</p><p><em>Did you want to spend time with me? </em>Both of them waited with baited breath, but Arthur couldn’t bring himself to tell the truth. Instead, he defaulted to what he knew best. “Correct, I absolutely have two left feet. I’d prefer to not make a fool of myself on television and dozens of people on Sunday.”</p><p>“Not like I’m any better. Alright, let’s go!”</p><p>Waiting for him to open the door, the two of them walked to what Alfred called meeting room six.</p><hr/><p>“Is it a studio within the palace?”</p><p>“Uh, not exactly. It’s kind of a room where we have a music player and a gramophone installed, whichever someone wants.” ‘Music player’ meant the dingy white plastic machine that was provided to the dorms in the holding facility, so Arthur was curious as to how a palace version would look. “Anyway, it’ll give us a lot more privacy than compared to the Drawing Room or the dining hall.”</p><p>“I imagine, yes.” he said. “Fates forbid all my fellow Chosen watch me stumble over my feet. It’ll feel like the longest thirty minutes of my life.” <em>Are neither of us going to acknowledge the kiss? </em></p><p>Out of the corner of his vision, Alfred tilted his head over to him. “Ah yeah, actually,” he said, causing Arthur’s head to nudge over to face him, “There’s something about that you might wanna know. I’m not sure if the other ex holding facility members have told you, but I’ve been having longer sessions with them.”</p><p>Arthur’s thick eyebrows rose slightly. “I haven’t heard of that, no.”</p><p>“Awesome, since yanno. I kinda promised them to secrecy, but anyway, I’ve been doing it quietly since I don’t want any jealousy issues to be a thing. I’ll spend around another hour, maybe a bit more if you need. I’d just prefer you to not talk about it with the others, if that’s okay?”</p><p>“Yes, that’s all right – I haven’t been talking about the kiss either, so-” He realised what he’d said far too late. Judging by the blush that spread across Alfred’s face, he was feeling the same way about it. “I...I apologise, that was untoward-”</p><p>“I, uh...don’t do that, Artie, there’s no need.” His eyes darting around, it seemed like he was trying to look for someone or something else, but Arthur was so taken in by him that in that moment it didn’t occur to him what it was exactly. “Seriously. Don’t apologise.”</p><p>“But with the whole incident outside the dining hall, I felt...that you might not have the greatest confidence in me anymore,” Arthur confessed. “At least, I felt as if I had let you down, that you had made the decision in the heat of the moment. And I wanted to apologise for that.”</p><p>“The incident in the dining hall? Oh, uh, that. Listen...it’s kinda hard to explain, but I felt like I couldn’t protect you. Let’s discuss it a little before we head to the room, if that’s okay? Have you been thinking about this a lot?”</p><p>Coming to a sudden stop in the middle of the hallway, Arthur followed him to a small area between two curtained windows. <em>Protect me? What could he mean by that? </em>“Are there cameras?”</p><p>“Nah, they’re waiting at the studio. I guess they thought we’d arrive sometime after dinner or something, so we still have some time. So,” his face grew serious as they faced each other once more, “Have you been thinking about that? About the arguments you’ve been having with the other Chosen?”</p><p>“Well. A little. I’d like to say that I knew how to act properly, but it seems as if I’m always caught at the worst of times.” He tried to play it off with a shrug, but by Alfred’s frown, it didn’t look like he was too convinced. “I <em>do </em>get along with people.”</p><p>“Yeah, I don’t need to worry about that. But do you think there’s another motive to them targeting you?”</p><p>“I don’t know about that, but...was that why you haven’t talked about the kiss on the Broadcast?”</p><p>Neither of them had realised, but they were slowly inching towards each other as they spoke. “Kinda. At the same time though, I’m kinda worried that singling you out like that might make the issue even worse. Yao – Jack Yao and Ace Matthew and I have spoke about you at length and stuff. We can’t really tackle the bad blood between them and you guys within the space of a Deciding, not to mention some of them are popular with the public. There’s just a lot going on.”</p><p>“Then, if you can’t sort them all out, there’s something else you can do.” Pushing his fingers harder into his pocket, he took a deep breath, careful to look at the floor. Knowing he couldn’t face him whilst he said what he had in mind... “What if you el-”</p><p>“No.” Arthur saw his arms come forward, his thumb and middle finger forming a ring around his wrist. “Artie. You know I can’t send you home.”</p><p>“If...If I’m being a nuisance,” he heard his own voice waver and immediately hated the weakness in it, “Or being objected to by the Jack and the Ace, t-then I’d understand if I needed to step aside as a result of their objections.”</p><p>“Hey, it’s not how-”</p><p>“I’ve been wanting to say this for awhile, but I’ve been haunted by my own weaknesses. If I cannot...I need to be able to live up to someone like you, Alfred. If I’m unable to do that, then – mmph!”</p><p>In a move so swift that he’d call it reckless, Alfred’s arm had shot out to wrap around his waist and pulled him behind the velvet curtain. His other hand had tugged it over the two of them, meaning that other than the fact that the soles of their shoes were visibly touching underneath, they were completely concealed. With his right arm above them, only the faint light from outside lit Alfred’s expression – cheeks flushed, dilated pupils darkening, leaning forward, his broken panting accentuating every moment spent in the darkness.</p><p>
  <em>He could, from this angle, if he wanted...I don’t know if he’s been doing it with anyone else, but that’s not my position to enquire either. With him being so perfect, there’s no way I could deserve him, yet...</em>
</p><p>No words came from his mouth, but what he did dare to do was reach out and cup his face, relearning the soft bump of his cheekbones, the small patch of rough skin underneath his right ear, the hint of stubble on his chin. Shutting his eyes, he waited for Alfred to lean forward, hold him so close that it felt like he’d burst, but nothing came. It felt like he was waiting for something.</p><p>Arthur realised that it was himself. With all the restraint he’d shown, it wasn’t surprising that the prince was uncertain about whether he felt the same. There were only so many things he could deny verbally, but their closeness made it so he couldn’t fight off his longing much longer. With only the two of them, it felt as if there was no more space for secrets. Leaning slightly on his tiptoes, he felt so overwhelmed that he barely forgot to close his eyes as he pressed his forehead to his. He didn’t even know where to really put his hands, but once Alfred pulled him closer with his left arm, unspoken strength slumbering behind that simple action, his fingers interlaced themselves in his tie, fixing their overheated bodies closer together, another anchor to keep him chained to reality.</p><p>This wasn’t a dream, or a scene in a fairy tale novel. This was real. The action was soft, uncertain, and not even another kiss, but it was enough to send his mind reeling. The confusion from the last week seemed to have dissipated; giving way to a warm curiosity that seemed all too familiar.</p><p>“I’m not sure if I made it clear in your room, Artie, but there’s a reason it’s just been you I’ve been this close with,” he murmured, voice lowering to a hum as he leaned closer, their feet shuffling uncertainly around the tiny space. “It should answer why I thought the stuff you said was really unfair to yourself. You told me you haven’t been preparing to become a queen, right?”</p><p>“Y-Yes, that’s true. I never expected this,” his grip slackened on his tie, “<em>Any</em> of this to happen.”</p><p>“Then why hold yourself to a standard of someone that’s been prepping for this sorta stuff? It’s unfair to yourself, right?”</p><p>“I suppose, but...” Arthur’s rasping breaths stilled; the hand that had held up the curtain coming down to gently cup his chin, allowing it to fall and cover their silhouettes. “I worry, that even with adequate training, that this is all happening too soon. Two months is not a lot of time, correct?”</p><p>Alfred watched quietly, waiting to see if he was swatted away, but when Arthur didn’t pull away from him he continued. “I get that. That’s kinda why after the whole discussion about the nickname we had in your room, I haven’t used it yet. I guessed you’d be uncomfortable with it, and things are moving kinda fast, you’re right. At the same time though, I don’t wanna slow down too much to the point where we’re going nowhere. I hope that you feel the same.”</p><p>“I do as well, but...” He couldn’t quite meet his gaze, and he didn’t know how to explain it away. “I’m just...it’s difficult. <em>I’m </em>bloody difficult. I’m never confident in these things, and I apologise for my reservedness, but-”</p><p>“Hey, hey, no need to apologise, c’mon. If nothing, I’m happy you told me. I guess there’s a reason you keep stuff bottled up, but I get that.”</p><p>“But after everything you’ve done for me, I cannot help but feel as if I owe you something. I have all these insecurities and doubts, and you keep on giving me concessions, so for me to not fully communicate every emotion I’m feeling is surely beyond protocol, correct?”</p><p>He grinned, letting go of his chin, the loss of his warmth hollowing out Arthur’s frame. “Artie, I think both of us know that we hate protocol. Especially me.”</p><p>“All right, fair enough.” he made a tiny shrug. “But still.”</p><p>“I did that stuff, not cause I expected anything back, that’s not how I want things to happen in this competition. It was because I like you.” There was something boyish in the way that he ran his hands through his hair. Arthur could feel his shoes fidgeting around, accidentally colliding with his own a few times. “So what if you don’t wanna express your feelings so soon? That’s okay.”</p><p>“Oi, wasn’t that...whatever we just did-”</p><p>“I’m not sure what to call it either, but – aw, you look super embarrassed, man. That’s kinda cute.”</p><p>“Don’t call me cute!” Arthur hissed. He was sure his cheeks were on fire at this point, but Alfred’s small chuckle felt like sunshine streaming through the windows, in spite of the cool evening. Suddenly, he was incredibly self conscious of their closeness, and drew back the hand that was about to make contact with Alfred’s. “R-Regardless. I may not be good with words, but I hope you...understand that...that...”</p><p>“Hm, hm. Yeah?”</p><p>“Not so close, idiot! I...I...” <em>The bloody words won’t come out! </em>Arthur’s innate stubbornness was biting him in his arse, and he hated it. “How should I say this...you’re being impossible with you staring at me like that...having fun at my expense, I can’t believe you...”</p><p>“Hey, no need to worry, it’s just the two of us, and there aren’t any cameras prowling about – wait, actually, one sec,” Alfred chirped, his free hand grasping a bit of the curtain and pulling him closer, making them two peas in a pod, as uncomfortably squished together as they were. Damned teenage hormones. “Maximum security, hero’s honour!”</p><p>“People can still hear things through velvet curtains. See, it’s not...I...”Rapidly running out of excuses, he scrunched his toes and tried to push away the prince’s closeness. “I...I feel the same. Idiot. If it wasn’t clear enough. Is that clear enough?”</p><p>Able to see Alfred’s hair droop in the darkness, he continued. “Yes, well. I don’t want to slow down completely, but I feel like our current arrangement is suitable.”</p><p>“With all the secrecy and stuff?”</p><p>“Yes, that’s what I meant.” Relieved Alfred understood roughly what he meant, he allowed his shoulders to relax. “Treat me exactly as I am – a normal member of the Deciding.”</p><p>Though he could barely see anything, he could practically sense his pout. “But that’s not true,” he insisted. “Have I done this,” he leaned down to brush a little bit of Arthur’s messy hair out of his eyes, sending all his barbed taunts and denials out of his mind, “or this,” his free hand brushed Arthur’s knuckles, “Or this-” He was going to-</p><p>“Wait, wait, at least let me catch my breath, we can barely breathe here,” he protested. Overwhelming him like this, with touches of affection he’d never experienced and didn’t know how to respond correctly to, was not playing fair, so he wasn’t going to anymore either. “I don’t know the answer to that question, Your Highness. Only you do.”</p><p>“Huh? Of course I haven’t!!” Alfred wailed, causing him to laugh. His reaction had been even more adorable than he’d expected – <em>not </em>because he would ever admit he found him cute to his face, or anything of that sort. “You’re the only person I’ve done stuff like that with!”</p><p>“Then,” Arthur said, trying to fight both the strange relief and embarrassment he felt at the same time. “A-Are you planning to not do the same to others, ever? It’s a Deciding, and you shouldn’t saddle yourself with one person so early in the process.”</p><p>“Not exactly, but – crap, we’re running a bit behind schedule for the lesson stuff.” The curtain they’d been hiding behind unfurled, and they adopted a brisk pace, which made Arthur feel a twinge in his chest. It couldn’t be disappointment – he <em>wouldn’t </em>let it be, it was the exertion. “Alright, let me just talk about it for a bit. I’m not gonna deny that that’s probably gonna be a thing. It’s how the competition is set up.”</p><p>The same blasted twinge. It was probably because he couldn’t keep up with his speed. “Right. I’m aware.”</p><p>“But I wanted to warn you first, and tell you at the same time that even if it does, it doesn’t discount our relationship and our feelings, okay?” Arthur turned his head to find that he was looking straight at him, the playfulness in the air evaporating for a bit. “Just...talk to me about it. If you’re uncertain.”</p><p>
  <em>Much better said than done. I’m already withholding things from you that I don’t think could be said right now. </em>
</p><p>“I’ll do my best. Though, I still would prefer it if we kept it as private and quiet as possible, the way we’re doing it now. I won’t share any particular details about our relationship on the Broadcast, or to the other Chosen. If...that’s all right with you? Not as if we wouldn’t talk about it or anything, I’d just prefer it to be discreet.” He was starting to speak faster and faster. “If that’s not an issue, I understand if it were for the purposes of television but with nineteen other standout people around, I would think that it wouldn’t be necessary.”</p><p>“Hey, hey, Artie, it’s <em>fine</em>,” Alfred said, gesturing at him with his hands. The reckless punk inside him wanted to grasp them and pull them close, but he easily tamped it down. With what had happened behind the curtain, they’d probably pushed a boundary enough tonight. “Slow down, okay? I didn’t quite get everything, but I’m okay with being discreet. So long as it, you know, doesn’t get you into trouble. You want us to pretend like we’re just normal?”</p><p>“Something like that, yes. If...if that’s possible.”</p><p>“Yeah, it’s okay. Just as long as the both of us know where we’re at, okay? Okay. Let’s get the dancing thing done, yeah?”</p><p><em>Skipping off like that after having such an important conversation – I won’t quite say that I understand you fully just yet, crown prince</em>, Arthur thought ruefully as he shot off, <em>but I won’t say that I’m not interested in getting to know you more. </em></p><hr/><p>Making sure that Arthur couldn’t see his bright red face; Alfred wiped down his clammy palms, fanned at the back of his neck and took a deep breath before resuming a slower pace. Being found out like that was dangerous, but the fact that he’d been driven to tug him behind the curtain, especially without any contact with him these past few days, was even more so. Yeah, he’d make an active effort to get to know the others, but right now...</p><p>“Alfred? Are you all right? You’ve slowed down a little bit.”</p><p><em>He can’t know just yet. </em>“Yeah, I’m fine, I just thought I’d wait up for an old man like you, right? It’s a heroic thing to do!”</p><p>“Who are you calling elderly?!”</p><p>“C’mon, I didn’t say elderly, I said old – ow! There’s no need to jab me with your bony elbow.”</p><p>Oops. Once arriving at the room, he’d forgotten they weren’t alone. “S-Sorry for being late,” he heard Arthur mumble, immediately falling into a bow, and Alfred was tempted to do the same. Quickly rattling off an apology, he observed his reflection as the cameraman turned on the lights.</p><p><em>If I had just nudged my chin further forward back there, then we would have</em>... He wasn’t sure if Arthur had been completely comfortable with it and that was why he’d stopped, but the desire was still there.</p><p>Cheeks red underneath his glasses, his fringe sticking slightly to his forehead and dangling past his eyes, a glassy look to his expression – that wasn’t something running around could cause all by itself. Not even if he ran around the perimeter of the entire palace once.</p><p>It would be so much easier if he could’ve brushed it off as exertion or sport or something, but when he saw his expression mirrored within Arthur’s face, he realised that the situation might be more hopeless than he’d believed.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Please leave your thoughts/feedback/criticism/interaction! :) I'd dearly love to know what you think, and it's a huge motivator for me - I treasure every comment I get.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Act 27</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So sorry for the delay! Essentially the past week I was participating in an incredibly intense in-game event that required 15+ hours of my day and my computer for pretty much a full week, so I barely had time to put together a comprehensive chapter that wasn't all over the place. </p><p>Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter :) It's a little long though not as much as last week, but I hope you won't mind.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Arthur didn’t even get to ask about the glassiness in Alfred’s eyes before they hastily started their practice, sliding on their gloves haphazardly as the music started to play.</p><p>“So, anything about the Deciding that you could advise me on?” Whirling him around, he was envious of the fact that his partner didn’t sound wheezy or out of breath at all. “Y’know, with the holding facility schooling and stuff.”</p><p>“I doubt that I’ll know anything that you don’t, Alfr-” He caught sight of the camera in the reflection of the mirror, “-Your Highness. Could we, er, slow down?”</p><p>Coming to a halt so abrupt he was surprised it didn’t give him whiplash, the pace <em>did </em>slow but ended up with Arthur practically stamping on his toes and gripping too hard on his back, causing him to double over. “Ow!”</p><p>“A-Ah, A – Your Highness, I apologise greatly, I-”</p><p>“Artie,” he hissed through gritted teeth. Oh, bollocks. Had he broken a toe? Mortified, he continued to stumble through his words.</p><p>“I did suggest that I was bad at this dancing malarkey-”</p><p>“Laugh it off, okay?” Both of them were now anxiously looking at the reflection of the cameras in the wall length mirrors. “I’m fine. Trust me.”</p><p>“Er, all right.” They exchanged a high strung sounding sort of laughter, barely concealing their nervousness.</p><p>They continued to move throughout the room in time to the music, which Arthur recognised at the back of his mind to be a classical Spades tune, one played with lilting violins and soft oboes. “Don't worry, I know.” he said under his breath, turning – the motion was fluid, but there was a roughness to it that suggested to him that not even the perfect Spades prince was as good as he’d believed. There was a restlessness in the quirk of his foot turning that made him feel like he was more interested in their conversation than the actual movements. “Feeling okay so far?”</p><p>“Yes, I’m doing all right.” <em>If not for your hand on my waist, the precarious distance between us, the eyes of a continent trained on us, and the feeling of your forehead laid on mine still resonating through my skin as we speak. </em>“Regarding your question, I’m not exactly an expert on the Deciding, but my sister is.”</p><p>“Erin, right?” Their hands swapped position, and Arthur found his breath hitching, unsure whether it was due to the surprise that he remembered her name or the fact that Alfred’s waist was so warm underneath his unkempt gloves.</p><p>“Yes, she’s my only sister.” A sparkle betrayed the triumph in his blue eyes. “She was around four when your parents had their Deciding, and my older brothers tell me she was enraptured.”</p><p>“En-rap-tured?”</p><p>Arthur’s right foot fumbled, momentarily distracted by his reflection of his face behind Alfred’s shoulder. Were his cheeks that red? “Er, basically,” he said, “She really liked it. For years afterwards, we used to buy her old documentaries of past Decidings, and it’s partly become a tradition to buy her one each birthday.”</p><p>“Oh yeah, the documentary stuff. I guess they still haven’t run out of those, huh?” They almost forgot to turn a corner, resulting in an late jerk to the right. He was worried about the actual dance if this kept on happening.</p><p>“You’d be surprised to see how many of them there have been these past fifty years,” Arthur snorted. “With every royal struggling to protect their kingdom as you do, Alfre – Your Highness, the need to keep their crown close, and their people closer to their hearts, has increased.”</p><p>If his strong arms hadn’t helped propel him around just in time, they would have crashed into a wall. Wonderful.</p><p>“Psst, I thought dancing was more about moving than talking.” Arthur was so tempted to just wipe the smirk off his mouth. He wished what he was saying wasn’t true, though his lack of confidence was surprising.</p><p>“Well, I’m only good at one of those things, and twirling around the room isn’t one of them. As you know.”</p><p>“All I know is that it’ll be great to see you on Sunday evening,” Alfred grinned, the two of them parting briefly to move onto the next set of steps.</p><p>In the midst of his complaining, though, something happened that he’d been both anticipating and dreading at the same time. Arthur had <em>read </em>about the move, coupled with idiotic diagrams of useless arrows and two people multiplying into four then six then eight, with steps between and people weaving in and out of each other, but when he tried to imitate the step alongside both his partner and the music he failed miserably.</p><p>Bracing himself for his unflattering contact with the floor, he attempted to twist his body so that he’d fall on his shoulder rather than his back. But instead of feeling cold wooden floor against his sleeve, he managed to barely perceive a quiet thump as Alfred’s arm caught him just in time, breaking his fall.</p><p>His face was so close, even worse than their tryst behind the curtain owing to the fact that this time Arthur could see every nook and cranny of his surprised expression because of the lights. Eyes widened with the speed of the movement, his fringe dangling forward and covering the right side of his handsome face, his eyebrows contorted with concern, the tiny sound of his clock and dog tags jingling. Their breaths mingled, coupled with the small singe of electricity between them, he couldn’t help but press his lips together and stop breathing through his mouth. His gaze tracked a single droplet of sweat gliding down the side of his forehead. Knowing his heroic nature, he probably even asked him if he was all right, but it barely registered in Arthur’s frazzled mind.</p><p>It even seemed as if the cameraman had abandoned his equipment and had planned to rush to his aid before Alfred caught him. Every single second of the moment, amplified – one corner of his mind shouted about all the trouble he’d get once this aired on televisions around Cards, but every other cell in his body shivered at his closeness and the fact that he could feel every corner of skin laid against skin, barely disguised underneath sleeves and shirts.</p><p>“What – what had happened to you treating me like a normal member of the Deciding?” Arthur croaked. It came out sounding like Allistor before he quit smoking. Wonderful.</p><p>“Huh? Are you saying that I wouldn’t catch any other Chosen member like this? That’s unfair. T-Then again, I...” Alfred retorted, but the sound was hushed, almost as if there was something sacred around them that he was afraid to break with words. Thanks to the way his fringe brushed past his eyes, he couldn’t see his entire expression, either, reminding him that parts of the prince were still an enigma that couldn’t be discovered. “Arthur, I...you know you’re not-”</p><p>“You’re too close,” he whispered feebly, trying to stop him from saying anything that could mean that the extent of their relationship could be discovered prematurely. <em>Pull away.</em></p><p>Neither of them moved.</p><p>He shouldn’t want any of this. By all accounts, he shouldn’t want Alfred to lean forward and dip him further, his mouth seeking out another treacherous desire coming right on the heels of the two of them promising to be more discreet. He shouldn’t want to pull his arms up, trapping them inbetween their chests, surrendering to him.</p><p>Yet the most dangerous thing was the way his emotion, however undecipherable, was reflected in his blue eyes, laid plain only for Arthur to see. Something, <em>something</em> that he didn’t quite understand yet, frightened him.</p><p>“Your Highness! Sir Arthur, are you all right?” the cameraman called, urgency registering in his tone and in both of the boys’ frazzled minds, causing them to spring apart immediately after Alfred helped him get back on his feet. “That could have been quite a fall. That was an excellent effort, Your Highness.”</p><p>“Yes, I’m quite all right, thank you,” he said, clearing his throat. He daren’t look at Alfred now. “Your Highness, I must thank you for your assistance.”</p><p>“Hey, that’s what a hero does! I’m glad you’re okay, Art – Sir Arthur,” he could practically hear the charismatic grin, and wondered for a moment whether or not he felt the same tension, easily disguised the moment the other person arrived. “Though, if I’ve tired you out so much, maybe we should leave you fresh for Sunday, huh?”</p><p>This had been the most he’d ever managed to read the atmosphere, so Arthur eagerly took the escape route. “Pardon? Oh, yes, yes, though I have to say it is in no part due to you. I must thank you for your accommodation of my poor skills, Your Highness.”</p><p>“Don’t be so hard on yourself, you did quite well.” <em>I fell, what else do I need to be a laughingstock?</em></p><p>
  <em>Then again, it was because of you that my reputation and I are intact.</em>
</p><p>“Uh, anyway! Would you like me to escort you to your room?” Arthur barely fought off an instinct to wipe his clammy hands on his dark pants, before remembering he was wearing gloves. Perhaps the guide did come in handy after all, though it did no good in teaching him how to handle his own confusing feelings, exacerbated by the fact that Alfred was still unfazed whilst he could still feel the hairs on his back from the way he caught him.</p><p>“I’m sure you’re very busy, so that won’t be necessary. I do know the way to my own room after all.” There, a joke for the cameraman who had returned to his tripod. Hopefully it would be more interesting than whatever had just taken place between the two of them, though everything he’d learnt about the Deciding during his studies knew that almost nothing during that practise could have overshadowed that moment.</p><p>He could even have passed it off as a joke between them, if not for the way Alfred’s defined jaw twisted in disappointment before they exchanged formal bows and parted ways, leaving him alone in the room.</p><hr/><p>The night of the ball, Alfred managed to duck into his room and get a quick shower after his last meeting before the event. As he was rushing into his room, though, the faint glow of the light underneath the crack of Matthew’s room told him that his twin – probably back from his own meetings – had the same idea.</p><p>Quickly asking his maid to help get his military suit for the night out of his closet while he dried his hair, he decided to barge into his brother’s room right when he started to come out his bathroom.</p><p>“You’re just like your Chosen sometimes, you know,” Matthew grumbled, but there wasn’t any real ire behind it as he let him in. He was wearing a similar outfit to Alfred, but since he hadn’t served in the military, he had less medals pinned to his suit. “At least, the way they constantly duck in and out of each others’ rooms. Look at you, coming in all your finery.”</p><p>“What’s wrong with that?”</p><p>“You’re <em>dancing </em>tonight. If you insist on wearing your clock, your tags and all of them, wear five at most.”</p><p>“Okay, geez,” Alfred grudgingly began to unclip most of them from his lapel, his maid swooping in from the doorway to scoop them up. “Though, how d’ya know everyone does that? Oh, uh, it’s okay, you can put it on his chair there, I’ll put it on myself, and the badges you can just put them on my dressing table-”</p><p>“Sometimes you should really watch the covering of your <em>own </em>Deciding, Al,” he said. Unlike the usual occurrences, there wasn’t any bickering, probably offset by the fact that the heady feeling from getting ready just after a shower was just too refreshing. Briefly collecting his clothes from his maids, he turned back to speak to him, only to find his twin scrambling with his dresser handle.</p><p>“At least put on a badge! You’d look really good with five too – I’ll scramble around for one-”</p><p>“Hands <em>off</em> my drawer. I don’t want to sound like the palace treasury when I take a step forward. Don’t tug, or you’ll break it!”</p><p>“Hey! I don’t sound that loud-”</p><p>“<em>Any</em>way, planned out your dances yet?”</p><p>“Darn, I was just trying to help.”</p><p>“You’ve pulled it off six times, that’s not a coincidence.”</p><p>“There’s only sixteen planned dances for today, and there’s twenty of them,” Alfred said as he shucked on his suit pants and conveniently changed the subject, “So I might have to chop and change.”</p><p>“Only planned, meaning there’s going to be way more,” Matthew laughed as he followed suit, wiping at a stray bit of moisture on his leg before he did so. “You know how these things go, every single time they last until three in the morning.”</p><p>“Could you blame them? I mean, with all those royals here tonight, everyone wants to stick around. Uh, is there a darker blue tie you have maybe? No, if it’s back in my room you don’t have to get it, miss, it’s too much of a ha – ah, she’s gone...”</p><p>“So, one dance a person? Seems like so much work for you. Actually, fairly sure you as a hunk of muscle’ll do fine. Yes, you can put it at the entrance, I’ll wear them shortly before I leave – thank you.”</p><p>“Hey, that’s mean! You’re the better dancer between the two of us, anyway. Though I’m better at swordplay, magic, swimming-”</p><p>“Breathing?”</p><p>“Breathing. Wait, Matt, hey!” His brother could barely contain his snicker. “That’s not-”</p><p>“It’s not very fair if you compare an Ace’s incredibly weak magic to that of a future king, you know,” he replied, tugging at his wavy hair then frowning at how it hadn’t dried enough. “You and your bizarre super strength is what makes you good at it moreso than you studying actual magic. It’s only fair that I’m better at <em>something </em>rather than nothing, eh?”</p><p>“That’s not true, though. Yeah that’s perfect – thanks for the tie!” Adjusting it as he spoke, he came to stand next to his brother’s ornate dressing table, topped with blue, violet and gold accents and three massive mirrors, where he was scrambling for a hair dryer. He took the tie from his maid and started adjusting it behind his chair, whilst Matthew pulled at his dozens of small compartments to find it. “You’re better at a lot of things than me.”</p><p>“Really?” He sounded absent minded, plugging in the dryer and flicking it on, producing a blast of wind that made both of them squint and take off their glasses, putting it on the dressing table in a brotherly unison. “Not going to stop you from singing my praises anytime soon.”</p><p>“Ha ha ha! Anyway, who are you dancin’ wi-”</p><p>Violet eyes caught on Alfred’s white shirt quizzically. “Your tie is knotted completely wrong. Didn’t you practise with Yao earlier last week?”</p><p>“H-Huh? I mean yeah, but...don’t avoid the question!” he sputtered, scrambling to fix his tie. “Any plans?”</p><p>“Not particularly, no,” Matthew replied, continuing to dry his hair, though he turned it on a lower intensity. “Carlos is busy with paperwork, but I’ll try to convince him to join in later tonight, so perhaps with him if he has time. Francis and Yao, maybe. Then with as many royals as I can, for the sake of the cameras. With that in mind, I’ll be sure to steer clear of your Chosen.”</p><p>Fingers stuck in his tie, Alfred frowned, not really paying attention to what his brother was saying. “Uh, I mean. There’s no need for that,” Dislodging a badge, he quickly fastened it back to its rightful place. “They’re not off limits to anyone. Y’know, they get the rules and stuff.”</p><p>“Oh. That’s a fair point. I guess after all the planned dances are over, if they’re still interested. Will you have a round to dance with Ludwig, at least? Or Gilbert? Actually, Lili has been itching to speak to you about the Deciding ever since I picked the Diamonds up from the train station.”</p><p>“Huh, really?” To that question, Matthew nodded, moving around his hairdryer as he did so, the movement slightly shaky owing to the fact that without his glasses he was practically blind. “I hope so, maybe. And I <em>should </em>talk to her outside of meeting stuff, you’re right. Will see if Gilberry has another slot in his program, I guess; if we’re talking about the other royals, but then maybe you might be encouraged to dance with at least one or two of the Chosen for the cameras. Did ya happen to want to have a dance with Katya?”</p><p>The hairdryer stilled, and he took it as a sign that his brother was thinking, not to mention his furrowed brow. “Only as <em>friends</em>, Alfred, there is nothing special in my relationship with the Jokers. Anyway. I’m half expecting plenty of them will mistake me for you, and be all too triumphant until they look at their dance card and it’s my name on there, so you know.”</p><p>“Hey! You’re not allowed to tease me on that anymore.”</p><p>“Uh huh, lover boy. It’s sort of my birth right to do so.”</p><p>“Hmph. Anyway! We’re dressed pretty different with our ties tonight, if nothing else. The uniforms too, but they’re both royal garb stuff.” Alfred remarked, after he’d somewhat managed to fix his own. “And you’re the Ace, after all, so it’s kinda hard to not know who you are. I’m still nobody.”</p><p>“Good one, Al.” Closing the bottom shelf of the cupboard, he reached for the front desk, revealing a carefully organised desk with letters on one side, stationery in the top half and a few pieces of jewellery that Alfred couldn’t quite see before he took out the pair of gloves laid on top of his journal and closed it. “You’re the prince of Spades.”</p><p>“A <em>prince</em>. Makes me feel so weak just saying it out loud.”</p><p>“Who’ll be king before the end of the year, probably,” Matthew sighed, shutting off the hairdryer before Alfred started patting at his cowlick with a brush in an attempt to straighten it, with little results. “Ivan getting to you? Honestly, you two are exhausting. Thank the Fates Yao can handle the pair of you after interning in Clubs all those years before, or we’d have a mini explosion every single diplomatic visit.”</p><p>“He deserves it,” he muttered, picking up his glasses and squinting at his reflection again. “Guy just wants a rise from me.”</p><p>“Don’t give it to him, easy,” came the reply. “Right, guess I won’t look as fresh as this after everyone starts drinking. At least we had dinner early tonight. What’s the time?”</p><p>“Easy for <em>you </em>to say, Mr Gets Along With Everyone. You could be friends with Roderich, who’s the most boringest person ever.” Barbs aside, Alfred leaned forward to adjust his brother’s curl so it bobbed out of his face. “There you go. Now you’re also Mr Super Handsome, But Not As Much As His Brother. Every single person’s gonna be drawn to ya.”</p><p>“Yes, that’s me,” Matthew remarked dryly, but still let himself snort at what his brother perceived to be an incredibly gracious gesture. “Excuse me – if you don’t mind, what time is it? How much longer do we have to prepare?”</p><p>“Twenty minutes, Your Highness.”</p><p>“Thank you. Al, we have to go. Put on your jacket,” he said quickly, standing up from his chair and polishing the last bit of dust from his circular glasses. “Do you have a pencil for the dance card things?”</p><p>“I, uh, I mean, they’re only really just for the Chosen, so I didn’t bring one from my room-”</p><p>The top drawer was open before he’d finished his babbling. “Keep it in your breastpocket, and return it to me tomorrow morning.”</p><p>"Pshh."</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"You said 'breast'. Ha ha - ow!"</p><hr/><p>By the time Leon and Arthur came downstairs and picked up Sakura and Emma from their rooms, all four buzzing from their preparations for the ball. After he’d watched Leon half dance, half move briskly around in his room when he was waiting for Arthur to finish adjusting his suit, being impressed managed to wave away some of his nervousness. Unfortunately, as they went downstairs, meaning the sound of merriment grew louder and louder, he found himself trailing behind his three friends.</p><p>The moment they walked through the main entrance, adorned by endless arrangements of blushing blue flowers, two attendants quickly strung small dance cards against their arms, resting them on the small joint of their wrists. Just their luck, as soon as they found their fellow Chosen in the crowd, it seemed to be another fun gimmick for the show. Great, another thing for Arthur to worry about.</p><p>Most of his grumpiness was alleviated by the general splendour of the huge room, though. The main rooms of the first floor of the palace had been opened so that they loosely formed a massive assortment of open hallways and doors for people to flow freely in and out of. Complimenting the majestic chandeliers that graced the ceilings, small blue candelabras cast their shadows on the walls that didn’t seem to falter as their small group walked through the venue. Even the decor that had been resting in the dining hall and the Drawing Room was strewn around. People, more people than he’d ever seen in one place within the palace, were everywhere, wearing clothes from elaborate gowns to bold suits with colours from all the Four Kingdoms.</p><p>“I wonder if he’s here yet,” Emma whispered to them, almost certainly talking about Alfred. “The first dance doesn’t start until nine, and it’s ten minutes until nine!”</p><p>“How can you tell?”</p><p>“There’s, like, clocks everywhere, not surprising since this <em>is </em>Spades after all.” he gestured to the elaborately shaped clocks hung on the walls, offsetting the blue and purple with more blue. “We’ll hear when he comes.”</p><p>“These dance cards are bloody annoying, flapping all over the place,” Arthur grumbled, half tempted to take them off and stuff them straight in the pocket of his jacket.</p><p>“Right? The string’s rubbing at me, kind of.”</p><p>“Did you wear them to your debut? I know Leon didn’t have to, but...”</p><p>Leon and Emma exchanged a look. “I didn’t either,” Emma replied, tilting her head, looking at Sakura, causing all of them to do the same. She hadn’t said a single peep about it, but was looking distinctly unbothered.</p><p>“Ah...only for three months,” she replied, chuckling quietly behind her gloved hand. “Well, erm, it was quite hard at first, but you get used to it after awhil – erm, a while. We used to practise by tying a bit of string around our wrists all day before a big ball.”</p><p>“We should totally try that. For the next one.”</p><p>Emma hugged her friend hard. “You’re full of such good ideas, Sakura!”</p><p>“There’s going to be another one?!”</p><p>“Yeah, during the summer solstice, most likely.”</p><p>Before Arthur could bury his face in his hands in despair, someone cleared their throat behind them. Right, since they were Chosen, they were wanted commodities now.</p><p>“Lady Emma?” A young lady wearing a pink dress, someone Leon and Arthur didn’t recognise, was holding out her hand with a grin. “Would you like to dance?”</p><p>“Oh...of course,” she replied, pushing back her brown hair and holding out her card so she could write down her name. She did sound a little disappointed that it wasn’t the prince, but it was fair since he wasn’t even here yet. “All right, see you later, guys!” Before they could look at it, she was gone.</p><p>“Who’s...”</p><p>Sakura didn’t look bothered, meaning that it was a good sign. “That is just the guard that stands outside the girls’s floor at night,” she said, waving a small goodbye. “She <em>did</em> promise to take us all on the floor out for a dance tonight. Maybe we should keep going?”</p><hr/><p>After awhile, a commotion could be heard at the entrance of the hall, signifying that a set of royals were probably arriving. As the trio pushed themselves to the front of the hall, the bright emerald colours signified it was the Clubs royals. Queen Elizabeta and Jack Roderich entered behind King Ivan, who immediately started to dance with someone he couldn’t quite see, the couple starting to make their way to the dance room right after him. Another few minutes, and the Diamonds entered, fanning out and all taking different partners except the tiny Queen who started walking around with Joker Gilbert.</p><p>“Um, excuse me?” Arthur whirled around, coming face to face with Officer Steillson – it had been awhile since they’d spoke, but his gaze was fixed on someone beside him. “E-Er, Sir Leon, would you care for a dance? It’s all right if you’re busy with your friends-”</p><p>His friend broke into a smile, coolly adjusting his suit as if he didn’t look like a model already. “It would be my delight, Officer Steillson,” he said smoothly, and detached his dance card to let the guard sign it before leading him to the floor. “See ya,” he mouthed to Sakura and Arthur, being swallowed in the crowd.</p><p>“Erm, you don’t have to hang around with me if you don’t want to,” Arthur muttered, adjusting his gloves awkwardly, but she simply shook her head.</p><p>“It is all right, Arthur, with just the two of us it is much more peaceful.” That, at least, made him smile, helping him to dispel some of the nervousness. “Ah, there is Sir Alfonso and Sir Thomas – perhaps we should go to them?”</p><p>Following her, they found the two of them watching everyone else dance almost expertly on the floor, twisting Arthur’s stomach. “Have you two gotten a dance yet?”</p><p>“Has the party not just started?”</p><p>“Yeah, but Lady Natalya’s gotten one with the Clubs king already,” Thomas said, fiddling with his dance card. With his steel glasses matching his tie, standing out against his dark skin, and hair perfectly styled into a line-up, he looked very put together. “Apparently Avie’s been asked by the Diamonds Jack to dance as well. So it would be a good idea to prepare to be asked by a royal.”</p><p>Alfonso nodded – he had cleaned up immensely well, his hair tied up and a healthy flush on his cheeks. “Don’t envy her too much, though. Even without a gun he’s terrifying. Speaking of royals, has he come downstairs yet?”</p><p>“I do not think so, no,” Sakura replied. Arthur’s eyes caught on King Francis’s chrome yellow ribbon bobbing up and down as he danced with his daughter. “Have you?”</p><p>“Though all the guards and maids and whatnot are wearing some shade of blue, neither of them look like Prince Alfred. Oh wait, that’s the...oh, that’s-”</p><p>“Red?”</p><p>“Hearts,” Arthur said automatically, a side effect of his education. He tried to keep his tone neutral, disguising his slight disappointment.</p><p>Jack Feliciano and Ace Lovino’s matching coats were distinct as they entered, accompanied by the King of Hearts, dressed grandly in a coat that was adorned with golden epaulettes, tassels swinging against the fur lining. Without hesitating, Jack Feliciano reached a hand out to his husband, who took it and let him pull him to the dance floor, leaving Ace Lovino behind to disappear within the crowd.</p><p>“Aw, that’s kinda cute,” Alfonso remarked over the din. “Huh? Oh, have fun, Thom!” Watching his friend being led away, he turned to the two of them with a grin. “I asked everyone else, but who do you think’s going to be asked first by Alfred?”</p><p>“Sakura, I’d say,” Arthur admitted. Moving out of the way for a couple to attend to the dance floor, he continued. “After the outside date with him, and the fact that she’s popular with the people, I think? At least, that’s what they’ve been saying in the papers-”</p><p>“Yeah, they’ve been saying it on the television as well-”</p><p>“Ah, you two are being far too nice,” she mumbled, two pink spots appearing on her cheeks. “I do not think it will be just based on rankings, I think he will at least try to take every single one of us out.”</p><p>“Probably will take me out last, if at all, seeing how things have been going.”</p><p>That was met with a exasperated grin as he rubbed on his mole. “No need to be a sourpuss, Arthur,” he said. “He’ll make time for everyone!”</p><p>“Not for a bad dancer – and there’s sixteen, right? The schedule said there were sixteen planned dances.”</p><p>“<em>Planned</em> doesn’t mean there’ll only be sixteen, there’s so many people here tonight.”</p><p>Sakura nodded, her small hand patting Arthur’s shoulder just before she made her way to the front to see. “These sorts of balls last forever into the night, Arthur. Please do not be discouraged. I will see you two later.”</p><p>“See ya, Lady Sakura!”</p><p>“Stay safe, Sakura.”</p><p>Before he could feebly turn down their attempts at comfort, the hubbub at the front of the hall grew louder, and along with it three figures dressed in blue followed.</p><hr/><p>The moment the Spadian royals entered, along with Joker Katya, a hush fell into the room as they walked close to the middle. It was to be expected but the way that he could feel everyone – including himself, shamefully – straighten their backs and watch Alfred enter the room, the light clinging onto his golden clock, ornamental shoulder pieces, tousled hair, winning smile, everything.</p><p>Arthur reminded himself that first, it was unfair for him to put such a boy on a pedestal, and second, that he had to breathe.</p><p>“Fashionably late, huh?” Alfonso whispered, but he was enraptured all the same. Descending past the flowers, there was no need for a spotlight as the Primary Suit fanned out, Yao fading into conversation with Roderich and Katya speaking to her fellow Joker. The two brothers remained together, speaking softly to a pair of Chosen lingering near the entrance. “Rather smart of them to do that, though.”</p><p>“Fifty gold it’s the girl on the ri-” Just as soon as he started to speak, Matthew extended his hand to the girl whilst Alfred leaned down slightly to write his name against the boy to the left’s dance card, handing the pencil to his brother after he’d finished. “Drat.”</p><p>Alfonso beamed, though surprisingly Arthur didn’t detect any malice from him. “Pay up,” he teased, making a motion with his gloved hand that was responded to with a deadpan gaze. “Kidding, kidding. You know, I will say that I had zero expectations for my chances, but it’s still kinda sad to watch the guy you like go with someone else, right?”</p><p>“Yes, I suppose,” Arthur said, pausing whilst Alfonso plucked two glasses of champagne off a passing servant and gave him one. “O-oh. Thank you.”</p><p>“Why all the surprise? We’re friendly, aren’t we?” At Arthur gingerly nodding once, he only smiled wider. “Aight. Cheers.”</p><p>“Cheers.”</p><p>Clinking their glasses, they both turned around from where they were standing near the curtains to watch Alfred twirl around with the boy, looking radiant and possessing none of the uncertainty he had when practising with him. Arthur’s chest suddenly felt funny, as if a knot had ensnared itself within it. It had to be the alcohol.</p><p>“Thanks for sticking around,” Arthur mumbled – he had no idea how to do these things. “You could get a dance much easier without me hanging around, but. But.”</p><p>“Huh? Could say the same for you,” Alfonso said, taking a quick sip. “It’s better to make friends than enemies. And there’s a lot we have in common. Us ‘holding facility kids’ have gotta stick together. Oops, sorry about that, sir. Maybe we shouldn’t sandwich the corridor by ourselves.”</p><p><em>I didn’t mean just tonight, but in general. I don’t make friends so easily, unlike everyone else here, </em>Arthur wanted to say, but steeled himself. Such words would drive any sane person away, and he was convinced that Alfonso was sane.</p><p>“Good idea.” They began walking through the corridors, careful to blend in the side lines but still keeping the main dance floor in view. “Regardless, no one’ll ask me out on a dance, I’m sure.”</p><p>“Could <em>still </em>say the same about myself. I’ve only really been on a handful of dates with the prince-”</p><p>“Mhm.”</p><p>“And the public support has been, you know. Meh. For me.”</p><p>Arthur took a sip. The bubbles made him feel odd in a pleasant manner, but the same could be said for his companion. “You’re still here, though.”</p><p>Alfonso tilted his head, darker green eyes meeting his cheerfully. “Could say the same about you. And we both like him, right?”</p><p>Opening his mouth, he found that he had no retort to that, no matter how hard his eyebrows furrowed.</p><p>“Yes, I suppose.”</p><p>“That’s a lot more than many of the people from well off families, and the prince isn’t a fool. He’ll be able to sort them out from the guys who are here for the right reasons,” they came to a rest behind a white plinth, not in the view of any major camera. Alfred was whirling someone else around now. The tight feeling in his chest grew worse. “And then the competition will really start, because something more important than the crown’ll be at stake.”</p><p>“His heart,” Arthur echoed, so enraptured in the sight of Alfred’s confidence that neither of them noticed Ace Lovino and Matthew exchange glances and approach them until it was almost too late. “Your Highnesses-”</p><p>“Ace Lovino, I’d like you to meet Sir Arthur and Sir Alfonso,” Matthew said brightly as the two of them hastily bowed. “They’re both part of the Deciding.”</p><p>“Nice to meet you, gentlemen,” Lovino said, bowing in greeting. It was hard to reconcile this fellow with the fierce individual that he’d studied about in classes, and it was possible to see the same thought run through Alfonso’s mind. A flicker of recognition came over Lovino’s face when he looked at Arthur, but he didn’t voice it. “Are either of you free for a dance?”</p><p>Alfonso and Arthur exchanged a glance. “Of course, Your Highness,” Alfonso said quickly, fishing for his dance card so it could be pencilled in by the Hearts Ace, who led him away.</p><p>Arthur, on the other hand, lifted his so Matthew could write his name in careful cursive. “I hope I didn’t ruin a chat there,” the Ace said softly, pocketing his pencil and following the pair. “You two seemed like you were having a good time. This dance is quite easy, so you need not worry.”</p><p>“Thank you, Matthew,” he began to say, but paused, voicing his question out loud. “Wait, how exactly did you find out I wasn’t very confident in my dancing?”</p><p>A hint of mirth danced in his violet eyes. “At night, just before he goes to bed, my brother speaks at length about you and forgets that I live in the room next to his. It’s too easy to hear everything.”</p><p>Arriving at the main dance floor, where everything was paved in blue, Arthur pushed away the frayed knot in his chest and took a deep breath as he faced Matthew, focusing on his stray curl as if it would help him forget the way Alfred’s hand felt holding his.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Please leave your thoughts/feedback/criticism/interaction! :) I'd dearly love to know what you think, and it's a huge motivator for me - I treasure every comment I get.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. Act 28</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Don't really have much excuses for putting this up so early, i was just excited about it :p</p><p>My god, thank you so much for 1,500 reads. Thank you thank you thank you thank you.  I can't really put it in words how thankful I am, but hopefully everyone continues to enjoy the fic :) That's pretty much the best I can do to express my immense gratitude. </p><p>Alright, enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Instead of the record he’d practiced with, they’d brought in a proper orchestra with all the furnishings, so Arthur figured that would be an easy thing to commentate on as a starting point.</p><p>When he did though, Matthew simply nodded, carefully taking his partner through the motions. “There’s almost always musicians playing live, Sir Arthur, at least in these sorts of parties. Though I must ask, have you heard an orchestra in person before?”</p><p>“Once, I believe.” Arthur replied. Another reminder of how he didn’t really fit in this place. He took a moment between replies to ensure his shoulders were squared properly and his chin wasn’t glued to his neck. “It was at an annual field trip with our holding facility in Hearts, and we attended a fair in the Inner Circle. But that’s it.”</p><p>“I’m sure you’ll get used to it soon,” he said, not unkindly. Clearing his throat to say something else, he stopped when he noticed his brother glide past him with the eighth Chosen member of the night, expecting him to look every bit as smug as possible.</p><p>Wait. The expression he wore wasn’t one of triumph, rather one of frustration. Alfred’s gaze was fixated somewhere else other than his own partner. It took him a moment to realize that he was looking at Matthew’s.</p><p>Strangely, though, Arthur hadn’t seemed to notice. “I do hope so, Ace Matthew,” he replied as they separated for a moment, mimicking everyone else on the floor. “I must admit, not everything has come easy in this new lifestyle.”</p><p>Sympathetic nod, though the Ace looked a little confused. “Er, that is not to say that I haven’t found ample things to appreciate.” Starting to stammer a little, he felt whatever little confidence he’d found to slip away. “The food’s excellent, the gardens are exquisite, er, and-”</p><p>“Sir Arthur, are you all right?”</p><p>Alfred moved to the right but not without throwing a stray glance in their direction, mouthing something that Matthew couldn’t quite make out. Owing to the frustrated bob of his cowlick, it probably wasn’t anything good.</p><p>“Yes, I’m quite fine, I, er-”</p><p>“No, it’s just that...you know, my brother just whizzed by, and you didn’t interrupt our conversation.” Stricken, Arthur watched his face for any sort of hints that told him he was doing something wrong, but he only saw a tiny lifting of the corners of his mouth. What could he possibly say in an undignified response?</p><p>“Oh – no, not at all, it’s just that,” Matthew ducked under an arch that the adjacent couple had formed, linking back up with him, “It’s just that I’m used to being overlooked for his sake, so I found it strange.”</p><p>“He was there?” Whatever question he had in mind was completely overruled by that discovery. What a foolish question, he thought internally, but at least Matthew seemed to find it amusing. “Um, it would be rude to ignore you, correct? Especially since you, as the Ace of Spades, invited me.”</p><p>Pausing briefly in his steps, he waited until the dance let them separate from the other couples. “Sir Arthur, I hope this isn’t rude of <em>me</em>, but I’d be relieved if we could be acquainted past our bind of secrecy. I understand I’m asking plenty of you as it is, but I don’t want it to hinder our working relationship in the future.”</p><p>Arthur almost stopped dancing. “In the future?”</p><p>“In the future, correct,” Matthew said softly, easily maneuvering them both so they blended in with the crowd, out of earshot of the cameras. “I hope this isn’t rude, either, but we’re all allowed to root for people within the Deciding.”</p><p>“Then, that means-”</p><p>“I may not understand everything between you and my brother,” he said, continuing to propel them expertly so nothing seemed out of touch except of the things he was currently stating. “But I have been able to notice that he likes you very much, and that alone leads me to believe your presence in here will be prominent for much longer.”</p><p>“You’re not saying it just...for the fact that it’ll make it easier?” Thankfully, through the din of the room, his voice was naturally muted. In response, there was a tiny shake of his head. “I can’t understand that, but-”</p><p>“It makes me sound terrible, eh? I may seem too quick to trust you,”</p><p>“If I may be so bold, I’d argue you have.”</p><p>“But had Al – Alfred been engaged before the Deciding, I wouldn’t have spoken to them about my secret. Just like the mix up with-” his gaze slid over to the Joker, who was standing at the edge of the room with a small tart in his hand and speaking with Francis. “-him. So do forgive me if I am so quick to entrust, since with the stakes being so high.”</p><p>“Engaged before?” Everything came out like a question, but he couldn’t help his curiosity. Perhaps it would remedy the Ace’s bitter expression.</p><p>“If he hadn’t been so fierce about wanting a Deciding that he basically avoided contact with people who showed even a sign of interest, there might have been. It’s not uncommon for royals to avoid a Deciding for that reason alone.”</p><p>“That seems...extreme, but being that stubborn?” Almost forgetting that sputtering into laughter was improper, he managed to detach one hand from Matthew’s shoulder to cover his hand just in time. Alfred had a stubborn side, that little was certain, but he hadn’t heard any stories about it from someone else.</p><p>“Actually, yes,” the music drew to a close but the two of them were so engrossed in their conversation they barely slowed down. “He had a bit of an crush when we were young on a friend, but when I asked him whether he was going to make it serious, Alfred insisted that he’d save his first k – oh, we should be parting now. Thank you for the dance, Sir Arthur.”</p><p>Reverting back to business mode, the two of them bowed in a goodbye and exchanged thanks before Arthur retreated into the safety of the crowd and Matthew searched for another partner – a star struck girl, probably a daughter of a dignitary that almost keeled over in her excitement.</p><p>He was plenty content with the party as it progressed – no Alfred, no stress, no nothing. That is, until a hiss came from behind a familiar source that caused him to turn around.</p><hr/><p>“Al, what is it?” His face was a little pink, almost certainly from dancing essentially nonstop, but even now Alfred’s face wasn’t following his own, even when he had to step in for no reason. “What is it? And why are we hiding underneath some pillar?”</p><p>“What happened to you not dancin’ with the Chosen?” he grumbled, stammering over his words in his haste. Matthew hoped that no one would stare too much at the two boys huddled behind one of the several Corinthian pillars in the room. “Saw you out with-”</p><p>Sputtering, he straightened his brother’s tie as if to drive forward the point. “Are you jealous? There’s no need to be – who was it?”</p><p>“You know who it is,” He folded his arms, not even budging when Matthew paused to take two flutes of some blue champagne and gave it to him. “I’m not <em>jealous</em>, I just wanted to ask.”</p><p>“Mm-hmm. Drink, you look exhausted. It’s just some champagne, you don’t have to glare at it like that.”</p><p>“Matt, I’m fine,” he huffed, before taking the drink anyway and downing it after his brother chided him once more. “Say something mean to him? He wasn’t looking my way at all, and I was trying to talk with him halfway through!”</p><p>He deliberately paused to give a passing waiter their glasses. “You’re just too used to people looking your way. Of course I wouldn’t do anything mean to your Chosen. Could you, um – yes, thank you.”</p><p>“Matt-ie!” Alfred cried childishly, only remembering to thank the waiter after he’d been nudged. “Whaddya say to him that was so interesting?”</p><p>Reaching forward, he thought he’d get his answer but his twin conveniently beckoned Lady Marianne forward from where she was standing near a refreshments table. “The next song is about to start, and I believe you’re in need of a dance, Alfred.” With a tone that stern, and the fact that he should probably get as much dancing in before fatigue set in, Alfred gave up his conceitedness and decided to get on with it. There were other opportunities to bug him later, after all.</p><hr/><p>There was still some comfort in hiding quietly in solace, Arthur found, even within lavish ballrooms.</p><p>He’d been invited on two other dances, one by Officer Steillson who had been recommended by Leon, and another with Emma. His easygoing friend wanted to see if the cameras would eagerly follow a strange pair of two Chosen, and despite himself, he’d had a surprising amount of fun. Three dances weren’t that poor of a showing for someone who had two left feet.</p><p>The moment the two of them took a break, sitting on a bench – painted a luxurious blue and papered with silk. Emma was asked to dance by someone – an advisor, judging from the badge pinned on his lapel. Leaving him alone once more, he took another moment to take a drink of water. Eventually, his gaze couldn’t help but drift to where Alfred was dancing effortlessly with Natalya, sweeping her around like it was nothing, like he’d done with countless other people already this evening. The smile on his face as they wove between couples and united again was something that soured his throat with both envy and longing.</p><p>Arthur should have known he was staring too long. He should have just returned to not caring, eating plenty of sweetmeats, sipping on dainty beverages, and watching everyone else be content before leaving the party early and getting some good sleep. Not watching Alfred’s eyes sparkle behind the shoulder of the person he was dancing with.</p><p>At the same time, it felt that nothing else, not in this room or beyond, could compare with the headiness of just watching him.</p><p>He knew he was weak for it, but when even the Fates would be brought to their knees just by being in his presence, Arthur felt less guilty of his desire.</p><p>
  <em>I wanted to say ‘look only at me’, but I could never do that. A sun’s light should never be stolen. </em>
</p><p>Seguing past throngs of people, dance card thumping on his wrist, Arthur lingered behind a pillar at the very edge of the largest room, keeping his gait light so there was no way he’d be noticed inbetween the crowd. Fates knew he’d never ask for a dance, but settling for this was all right. All right, up until the moment Alfred looked up from writing his name on someone else’s dance card. One moment he was exchanging giggles, probably eating up every word they were saying, the next his mouth had stilled, watching him from across the floor.</p><p>In a flash, he and Arthur were the only two people in the room.</p><p>Entranced, he parted his lips to say something, wanting to forget temporarily where they were and just dance and talk like they had the other night, uncaring of everyone around them. Clearly, he was incredibly busy, and probably didn't appreciate being looked at, judging from the serious look on his face. For someone who was usually energetic and undeterred to wear such an expression, it made the old feeling of restless intrigue spring up once more.</p><p>Though at the same time, what else could have caused that face, if not his carelessness?</p><p>He didn't want to resist the irreversible temptation that had been borne out of their brief courtship, almost as if Alfred’s gloved hands were cupping his chin and tugging him close. But what did it matter? He wouldn't know that, and some things should remain a secret. Adjusting his jacket once more, he walked away to give him some privacy.</p><hr/><p>Throughout the night, he’d been acutely aware of his every turn of the room, every shift of his feet, every glint of light the angles in his face caught. Was this how it felt to be enraptured?</p><p>
  <em>I still have to attend to duties, but after I saw you with Matt, I couldn’t help but want to touch you for myself.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Then again, Artie, every time I see your back turning away, I can’t help but think what you’re keeping to yourself. </em>
</p><p>“Are you ready for our dance, Your Highness?” Sir Ian was watching, a shadow of impatience passing over his face. “I believe the music is starting once more.”</p><p>Not even a hero like him could catch a break, huh? Even Matt didn’t wanna answer his questions. He hadn’t really had time to enjoy the rest of the party, but that was probably his fault for being so guilt ridden to dismiss so many people.</p><p>Desperately bobbing his chin upwards once more for the sight of Arthur’s green eyes, he adjusted himself so they were facing each other in a prime position, the butterflies in his heart not quite settling. Shoulders back, arms relaxed, happiness painted on his face. Everything was fine.</p><p>“Ahah, yeah, one sec. The music’s starting again, let’s go!”</p><hr/><p>“Seriously, I don’t know what you mean, Al.” Matthew adjusted his pencil for no good reason other than keeping his hands occupied. “Moreover, tell me why exactly you <em>had </em>to tear me away from the others?”</p><p>“You didn’t get to give me an answer before I had to go!”</p><p>“Could always confess you’re a little too burnt out and take a rest. No one else’s been dancing consistently for the night.” He shifted in his position near the large hallway that connected the three rear rooms. “Seriously, if you’re tired, it’s fine. You don’t have to keep it up, especially not in front of me. Things don’t have to go picture perfect in Alfredland all the time.”</p><p>“I guess, but...” The same reluctance that had haunted Alfred ever since he returned from his service and had to start fully facing his responsibility as a king fell over his face. “At least, not now. I’ve only gotten through half of them.” Of course he didn’t acknowledge the comment about keeping his façade.</p><p>“Maybe you should have eliminated a few more earlier. Didn’t you mention that you were thinking about it?”</p><p>“Yeah, but-” He caught a glance of a camera manned by two women approach them behind Matthew. “Behind ya.”</p><p>“Huh? I thought you wanted to talk about-”</p><p>“Yeah, but <em>camera</em>. But I still wanna know,” Alfred smiled for the cameras in such a quick shift that would have disconcerted him if he hadn’t grown up with it these eighteen years. “Were you joking about me with him? Did you make me sound bad?”</p><p>“Wasn’t. Though you don't need another person to make you sound bad, eh?” Temporarily distracted from their discussion, Matthew couldn’t catch his brother’s expression as the camerawomen started to interview them briefly.</p><p>Speaking loudly over the chatter of the room and dance, they sounded chirpy and slightly off, as if they’d been drinking throughout the course of the night, but that was to be expected. “Your Highnesses, how are the festivities going on?”</p><p>“Excellent – I just finished dancing with a number of incredibly talented partners, and there haven’t been any unwelcome surprises, I daresay,” Matthew admitted, running a finger against the slight of his arm.</p><p>On the other hand, Alfred was slightly distracted by a person ducking into a spare room at the corner of his eye. Maybe it was his vision? Taking a moment to wipe his glasses carelessly on his white shirt, he placed them on.</p><p>“Prince Alfred? Your Highness, is everything all right?”</p><p>Nope, there was definitely someone hiding out, which meant that as the hero, it was his duty to coax him or her out!</p><p><em>Not</em> like he wanted it to be him, anyway.</p><p><em>Great</em>, Matthew sighed internally; <em>he’s not paying attention. </em>“Yeah? Oh, uh, sorry, someone’s calling me. Best of luck!” Turning to beam winningly for the cameras, he dashed off, leaving an exasperated Ace to clean up for him, as usual.</p><hr/><p>Fiddling lightly with his dance card, Arthur managed to take a moment of solace for himself. He’d come across two or three unlit rooms, but one had been occupied by a couple who seemed determined to suck each others’ souls out of their bodies and were extremely miffed when he showed up, and another was near the entrance, meaning he’d be caught. This one, nestled shyly near the back of the rightmost room, felt the best way to rest for the next ten minutes. Or hour. Whenever he felt like being paraded around again, though the weak moonlight peeking through the windows was too tempting at present.</p><p>Was he still dancing?</p><p>Daring to peer through the small crack that he’d afforded for himself, he surveyed the room. Throngs of people – the only thing coming close to it being when everyone was filing out for their classes in his holding facility – threatened to overwhelm his senses, reminding him how out of place he was here. Again.</p><p>Trying his best to ignore it, once again he diverted his attention to the dance floor. Sakura was there, having her dance card being penciled in, Leon was sitting down and eating with Emma, who had two other friends with them, all of them looking in their element. Alfonso was speaking with Alfred, only a few metres away, both talking animatedly with each other.</p><p>Like a fool, Arthur couldn’t help but recoil as the knot in his chest made itself known again with ferocity that it hadn’t before. Wanting someone was new, yes, but at least he’d had some time to deal with it. Feelings of this ferocity, however, hadn’t allowed him the same indulgence.</p><p>“Right, get out of here,” he hissed to himself, not able to observe Alfred detach from Alfonso with a friendly wave and make his way to him discreetly. In the midst of adjusting his gloves, he looked up to almost stub his nose on one of his medals. “Pard – Alfred? Er, I mean-”</p><p>“What’s wrong?” Alfred said, a sudden nervousness taking over his tone that was all too obvious for him to ignore. “You’re standing all by your lonesome, and you haven’t come to talk to me today. I get you suck with people, but-”</p><p>“I’ve <em>been</em> dancing,” Arthur sputtered at the tease. The nerve! He turned away to brush past him, but Alfred merely nudged him inside with a strong arm, carelessly shutting the door behind them. “What in the name of the Fates are you doing? Covering-”</p><p>Making an exaggerated shushing motion, he moved in front of Arthur, a tiny strip of outside light shining on his face. “No one saw us,” he said, winking, causing some very unwanted side effects in his heart. “So! We’re alone now, so what’s bothering you? With all the watching me, I thought you were gonna come up and ask for a dance, but the night’s half over and you haven’t, so.”</p><p>“What time is it?” he asked, hoping to buy some time for his heart to reform so he’d be able to conduct conversation like he was normal. He hadn’t heard the comment about watching him.</p><p>“Uh, around,” The golden clock emerged, a king’s toy being clutched like some sort of charm. “Two minutes to midnight.” Back down his shirt it went, and Arthur’s gaze couldn’t help but follow it. “Anyway, what’s with that? Not comin’ to see me.”</p><p>“Well, I was...” <em>I can’t say it. I can’t tell you that I wanted to come see you. </em>“To be frank, I was concerned about the matter of your presentability. Yes, that.”</p><p>“Huh? S’wrong with my clothes?”</p><p>“Nothing yet, I was just observing in case something did arise...” he trailed off, unsure where he was going exactly with this deflection. Besides, Alfred <em>still </em>looked smug, for reasons he was unsure of. “Is there something wrong?”</p><p>“Nah, there isn’t,” his self satisfied expression told him otherwise, “Other than the fact you didn’t come up to me after so long, though you were totally checking me out.”</p><p>He couldn’t help but let his mouth hang open. Before he could supplement it with a denial, he continued boasting. “I liked having your attention on me, just a little, heh. Was it just because I was so cool out there? Right?”</p><p>Rolling his eyes, Arthur shook his head. Underneath Alfred’s arm, he closed the door fully, leaving them secluded, having the general buzz of the party cover them. A few minutes, at most, before people realized the prince was missing.</p><p>“A-Absolutely not, you dolt, where do you get such bizarre ideas?”</p><p>“But I’ve been working super hard, like a hero does! C’mon,” Blasted puppy dog eyes, and by the way he’d knelt down so his face was perfectly in line with Arthur’s meant that he was doing it on bloody purpose. “Is it so bad that I wanna hear a little praise from you? Tell me everything about what you’re thinking.”</p><p><em>I can’t do that. </em>“...Why me?” he mumbled, caught completely off guard. Whatever little he could see of Alfred’s body gravitated towards him, closer and closer with every heartbeat that flickered between them. “Why me, when you could have anyone else in the room –!”</p><p>Shifting his weight from foot to foot and confronted with the fragility of his now exposed wrists, Arthur felt him lean forward and undo all the barriers he’d put up with one gentle nudge of his chin, connecting their lips together. Tender yet shy, it reminded him of why exactly he’d promised to himself to only look at him from afar. If such an action, filled with uncertainty, was enough, anything more meant that he’d need to ensure even more that the other wouldn’t have any opportunity to weaken him.</p><p>Alfred’s eyes seemed to sparkle even brighter than they had under the crystal chandeliers, bathed by nervousness yet still as captivating close up compared to across a ballroom. When he lifted his mouth from Arthur’s, a thin strand still connected them, barely noticeable in the dark. It was a reminder; even though everything he did was full of his youthful brashness, the way he showed affection yielded a vulnerability that he’d never associate with him. He was waiting, once more, for a person he felt didn’t feel nearly as strongly.</p><p>All his life, starting with his sister’s disastrous experiences, only really ever having a single friend, he’d been accustomed to holding back, acting on sense moreso than sensibility. It was far easier to hate instead of love, after all. But if the feeling of being hyperaware of Alfred’s presence – of every strand of golden hair, every tan inch of skin, every breath they shared – wouldn’t undo it, he didn’t know what would.</p><p>The two of them watched nervously as Arthur’s hands grasped his shoulders, thumbs resting over the golden tassels, preceding a silence that both of them wanted to push past but were too shy to find the words to do so. With the ball, all of Alfred’s hopes, and the competition looming over them, Arthur mustered up the courage to continue standing so close to him.</p><p>It had been the most daring move they’d attempted so far – hiding in a room with only a wall standing between their actions and the one of the largest social events of the year, and practically nothing between them.</p><p>“That’s...that’s why.” Breathless, ever so breathless. A wave of relief washed over him when he realised that he felt the same. <em>Say something, you fool, anything at all. </em></p><p>“Your tie’s been coming loose steadily throughout the evening, you’ve been dancing nonstop, far too many people are itching to speak to you, you should probably stop beaming so much or your jaw is going to come unhinged, and you should stop ducking into small spaces with me,” Arthur whispered, trying to hide his smile underneath his own suit sleeve as he rambled. “To fix that, er. Find a mirror, fix your tie or ask someone to do it for you. Then perhaps sit out the next few dances, take a breather with one of the thousand people so eager to talk to you, and stop that beaming. At least, that’s what I’d recommend. Not to mention we truly have to stop meeting like this.”</p><p>“Asking me to stop beaming when I’m with you? Especially when we’re alone and stuff? That’s kinda dumb of ya, Artie,” Alfred teased, though his hands tenderly pried away Arthur’s sleeve to move even closer, their lips lingering centimetres away from each other again. Fates knew his system couldn’t handle another kiss, not while that one coupled with the one in his bedroom was still flooding his senses.</p><p>The action itself was so simple, merely squeezing his eyes shut and leaning forward on his tiptoes, brushing his nose against his. He’d almost forgotten how it felt to lose himself to another person in this way, and he felt so wound up that even Alfred’s warm breath cascading against his skin made his heartbeat flutter underneath his ribcage.</p><p>“I-In that case, I’d prefer you not take me out on a dance and instead have this as our one on one time, and leave me for the rest of the night.”</p><p>Even when he was talking like this, low and rushed, Arthur couldn’t help but cling onto every word he said. “Not to mention you asking me to leave you alone isn’t possible. Especially ‘cause when – man, Fates, don’t you understand? All of it,” he pressed his forehead to Arthur’s, both his hands steadying himself on the wall behind him, eliminating one more barrier. “All of it, all of it was for you.”</p><p>“Pardon? What do you mean about the-” He couldn’t believe what he was hearing – or moreso, he didn’t want to believe it. Perhaps if he spoke as quickly and quietly as Alfred, it would fly over his head. Even during the last few weeks of spring, their shared heat made him boil underneath his suit.<br/><br/>“I overheard you talking about the dancing problem, and I decided to change it so it would be fixed,” he admitted, their words overlapping in their haste to get to each other. “And I kinda was mad at myself for not noticing that there would be people that weren’t so confident with this stuff. So there’s no better way for me to thank you than giving you a good dance, right?”</p><p> </p><p>Fates, Arthur couldn’t resist it anymore. “You’ve given me more than a good dance tonight already,” he murmured, looking underneath his lashes at him. He had no idea how to charm anyone, let alone the prince of Spades, but from the way his Adam’s apple bobbed, perhaps his instincts were not as hopeless as he believed them to be. “But I suppose I owe you a thanks.”</p><p> </p><p>“Uh, I mean, you...” His cheeks were so red in the faint moonlight. “You don’t hafta owe me any-”</p><p> </p><p>“You can be so dense sometimes, idiot.” he replied, daring to run his slender fingers against the starched collar of his uniform, pausing at the warmth there that he could barely feel through his glove. His breath hitched as he felt Alfred move as well, yet not stopping their multiple points of contact.</p><p><br/>“As I was saying, since I do owe you a thanks, I suppose I’ll take you up on the offer of an aforementioned dance. A simple one, mind you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Promise?”</p><p> </p><p>“I-I suppose.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hm hm. If you aren’t gonna say it, how else are you gonna show me?” The thrill of a challenge melded his expression into the happy go lucky one he was so used to, one he was so tempted to keep on his face with a kiss. He’d started to close his eyes, making his mouth vulnerable, until a noise sounded on the left door of the room, causing the two of them to spring apart. They’d been careless.</p><p> </p><p>Arthur hastily untangled himself and pushed his back against the cool wall of the spare room, out of the moonlight filtering in the room, and tried to quiet his frantic breathing. Whatever he did now wouldn’t stop them from being discovered. They’d been so careless.</p><p> </p><p>So, so careless, just like when he believed that the reasons he’d come into the Deciding would remain unchanged, therefore allowing him to let his guard down.</p><p> </p><p>“Your Highness? Are you all right? Your fellow royals were looking for you, and Ace Matthew directed me here. Thank goodness you’re all right – did something happen?” An attendant, thankfully from the sounds of it, was the one to show up and not a camera. “Is there...”</p><p> </p><p>Arthur twisted his chin slightly to the right from his petrified position, wanting to steal one last look and still remain hidden at the same time.</p><p> </p><p>At least he was good at masking his exhilaration. “N-Nope, heh, I’m fine as a fiddle,” he declared, and Arthur heard the sound of his shoes moving, causing the light of the ballroom to not seep past his body, masking him even better. Usually he’d look to double check, but the heavens could have moved and it still wouldn’t be enough to persuade him to divert his gaze.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry, just had to step out for a bit. Dancing’s hard work, right? Right! Is everything okay? No unwanted guests, I hope!” He threw a wink at Arthur over his shoulder. So much for hiding.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, now you’re found – and of course not, Your Highness, everyone is having an excellent time.”</p><p> </p><p>“Awesome! That’s really great,” he chirped. Another glance. The way he kept flicking his head back and forth from the room to him, still wearing that heady smile. “Really, really, uh, super great, heh.” The hum of their voices were already fading into the general mixing pot of the party, meaning that Alfred had successfully distracted whoever was asking.</p><p> </p><p>Blue met green, tugging onto the last remnant of each other until he had to close the door, leaving him in the dark.</p><p> </p><p>Slouching against the wall, Arthur buried his head between his knees, waiting for his heartbeat to return to normal, unable to fight back a low exhale and traitorous smile yanking at the corners of his mouth. Despite the lack of space for denial, the night still provided a worthy cloak for the extent of his feelings. Still, it couldn’t ease away the sensation of Alfred’s sleeves sliding away, the melody their bodies produced whilst they traded secret after secret.</p><p><em>I hope he's not in love already</em>. <em>Has he held someone else like he’s held me yet? Does he feel the same for somebody else? What does all of this mean to him?</em></p><p>
  <em>...Fates forbid, would he ever consider choosing me?</em>
</p><p>He had to return to the party eventually, he knew it. Problem is, the weightlessness of attraction prevented him from dusting off his jacket and walking away from the encounter scot free. How could he just saunter off, knowing that he didn’t have a single wall to put up against whatever unknown emotion that Alfred had shown him?</p><p>There was no way he could defend against him, someone that had already muddled his thoughts beyond comprehension in such a short period of time. Well, as a gentleman, he’d have to manage, somehow. Getting himself to his feet and brushing off invisible dust, he reached down to adjust his dance card.</p><p>Oh, bollocks. Where was the blasted thing? It had been merrily dangling from his wrist from when he’d entered the room, so how on Earth could it have disappeared if he hadn’t left-</p><hr/><p>Pushing up the little bit of string and the long piece of paper behind his watch, Alfred double checked his reflection in one of the several mirrors placed upon the walls. Yeah, he was right – it looked a lot more crooked than it had earlier that night.</p><p><em>More importantly,</em> he thought as he lifted up his blue sleeve to reveal Arthur’s dance card, <em>I managed to grab it from him! </em>It was only at the last second, where he was running his fingers through his collar that he’d stopped wanting to look endlessly at him. There was no way he couldn’t say that he wanted Arthur to only dance with him, so he’d have to do something like this. It wasn’t heroic at all, but even heroes needed to resort to underhand tactics sometimes!</p><p><em>What else did he say</em>? If he really wanted to impress, he better do it well. He’d have to fix his tie, take a break, grab something to eat, stop smiling as if he hadn’t just managed to kiss him again...</p><p>Making sure no one was watching, he dug into his breastpocket for his pencil and scribbled his name in. Took a pause. Scribbled it again twice for good measure.</p><p>It felt nice to work hard for someone’s sake, especially for someone as cute as Arthur Kirkland.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Please leave your thoughts/feedback/criticism! :) I'd dearly love to know what you think, and it's a huge motivator for me - I treasure every comment I get.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Act 29</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey! I'm a bit early this week too but shh. There's one small change to the fic that you may have noticed and that's me changing up the final number of chapters, since tbh I'm kinda not sure I'll stick 100% to the original chapter count.</p><p> With this week's chapter also being 6k words, I've been considering condensing and merging future chapters in my rewrites, as a majority of them used to be around the 3k mark and I feel that quite a few things could be pared down to improve the overall quality of the work. </p><p>There won't be any substantial changes to the plot, it's just me doing some housekeeping. :)</p><p>Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter! I'm really quite nervous about this one lmao.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Arthur had been sitting around, minding his own business and thankfully <em>not </em>being asked to dance. He hadn’t managed to see Alfred yet; he hadn’t been dancing either, so it left him feeling a little exposed, right until they showed up.</p><p>“Oh, Sir Arthur, there you are.” Great. The moment he’d stood up from his bench and was about to grab a drink, he’d had people calling for him. Except that it wasn’t either of the people he was friendly with, but rather a gaggle of non holding facility Chosen. Alfonso was standing with them, looking incredibly tense. “We’ve been looking to introduce you to a mutual acquaintance this evening.”</p><p>“Who?” Arthur said, rather rudely, but he was beyond caring at this point. He’d barely even spoken to them, though he could pick out a few familiar faces.</p><p>“My uncle, the Duke of Wartrett,” a girl said, sounding incredibly smug as she gestured to a man behind her, green bangle glittering with the wave of her hand. Her name knocked around the back of his head, but he could not place it. “It’s an southern estate in Clubs. Have either of you heard of it?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“...No.”</p><p>“I <em>see</em>. Well, that’s to be expected. He also owns several fine art galleries all around Cards. Have you visited a fine art gallery before, Arthur, Alfonso?”</p><p>“No-” Alfonso started, but she shook her head.</p><p>“That wasn’t a question. Of course I know neither of you could have afforded to visit in your dingy little facilities. Neither of you have any sort of connections in this room, I presume?” Titters erupted from the group.</p><p>“You didn’t truly believe we were going to introduce such rabble to my family?”</p><p>“No, but why did you have to air us out like that?”</p><p>“We’ll be on our way, thank you,” Arthur growled, nudging Alfonso’s sleeve to gesture for him to leave. Judging by his tight face, he wasn’t opposed to the idea either.</p><p>“Not so fast,” Ian replied, seizing his wrist, something he shook off almost immediately. Nevertheless, it had diverted his attention enough. “It shouldn't be that easy, just to forget how you don’t fit in anywhere here. You may have escaped us insofar, but I’ve seen how every single holding facility kid’s danced like they never received any training at all. Want to tell me the truth of whether His Highness <em>actually </em>bothered to teach you?”</p><p>His teeth bit the edge of his lip, causing it to pale, resisting blurting out what he knew. They chose to take it the wrong way. “Oh, so he didn’t take you out on lessons, after all? I daresay I’m not surprised. Better scurry up to your little rooms to start packing for tomorrow morning – shit, why now-”</p><p>Before he could send a fist in his face or something ridiculous to tamp down his anger, all of their tormentors fell into a curtsy or a bow, and Arthur turned around to see Alfred jog up to them, his golden cord bouncing on his chest. The last thing he managed to catch before he did the same was the palpable frustration on the girl’s face.</p><p>“Hey, guys!” Alfred called, looking fresh as a daisy. He’d even fixed his tie, from what little he could see. Arthur daren’t lift his eyes to look at his face. “Enjoying the party?”</p><p>“It’s been exquisite, Your Highness,” someone said that Arthur couldn’t see, his voice sugary. “Truly the grandest ball I’ve ever been to, and I’ve visited even the largest villas in the Hearts Inner Circle during my first debut!” Clearly another jab at them, but Alfred didn’t seem to address it.</p><p>There were a few moments of silence before he continued to speak. “Awesome! Erm, I hope you guys don’t mind, but I wanted to ask Sir Alfonso and Sir Arthur to dance soon, so I’ll be taking them out if that’s okay?”</p><p>Alfonso’s head jerked up. “But, Your Highness, didn’t we, uh, j-”</p><p>“Yes, of course, Your Highness,” Arthur interjected quickly, giving him a nudge. He wasn’t sure how, but Alfred had noticed the situation and was doing his best to give them a ticket out of it. “We would be honoured.”</p><p>Bewildered and relieved, the two of them followed him, trying their best to ignore the glares sent their way.</p>
<hr/><p>“Thank you, Your Highness,” Alfonso blurted the moment they were clear of the group. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that you were trying to get us outta that situation.”</p><p>“Hey, it’s no big deal,” Alfred smiled, holding up his gloved hands. “I’m sorry that happened. Unless, uh, I got it wrong and you guys were just chatting?”</p><p>“No, unless chatting was showing off all your relatives in the room, and them telling you were weaker for not having any here,” he bit out, snorting.</p><p>“Uh huh. So, uh, rain check on that dance?” The statement was meant for both of them, but Arthur didn’t notice Alfred’s eyes lingering on him.</p><p><em>That’s it? </em>“Rain check?” he asked, still intent on avoiding his gaze, for he knew all too well the sensation of his mouth pressing against his would return full force. Oh, brilliant. Pillars. The pillars in the room looked wonderful, meaning that he had to observe them.</p><p>“Basically, uh...still want that dance?” Fates, why did he sound so embarrassed? It was so cute it was unseemly.</p><p>Alfonso observed at how Arthur was furiously looking at a pillar at the corner of the room, and how Alfred’s fingers kept on scrabbling against his pockets, and fought back a knowing chuckle. “Your Highness, you have already danced with me this evening, and I believe my friend here,” he nudged Arthur cheerfully, “Is more than happy to take you up on that offer. Thank you for assisting us back there. Best of luck, Arthur, okay?”</p><p>“Wait, Alfonso-” he started, but before he could keep him in the conversation he’d wafted away, leaving the two of them alone in the middle of the massive crowd.</p><p>“So?” Alfred asked softly, jerking out his gloved hand to his so quickly that his sleeve fell away once again. If it wasn’t for their closeness, he couldn’t have heard him over the din of overlapping conversation about the prince standing with only one member of the Chosen. Arthur’s eyes caught on the faint blue lines in his exposed inner wrist, sharply turning his gaze away after a few moments. “D’ya wanna? It’s a simple one, I promise. Much less of a group dance and stuff.”</p><p>He was about to take his hand when he noticed a tiny bit of string pressed up against his watch, the untied ends practically crying out for Arthur to remove his glove and segue it up his wrist to pull at it. A tug forward was all it took for him to see that it was his dance card, staring up at him tauntingly as if it could sense his envy of wanting to be pressed against Alfred’s skin. There was Matthew’s name written on it, Officer Steillson’s, Emma’s, and...</p><p>“Alfred, what-” he started, pocketing his glove as he saw Alfred’s name being etched onto it not once, not twice, but three times. What in the Fates did that mean? Had he written it on there as a joke? To play a prank on him? There was no reason he’d want to dance with him so many times. Hadn’t his capacity for affection been used up already? Did he even <em>have </em>one? “What is the meaning of...what is this?”</p><p><em>Three dances is far more than anyone else has received tonight, </em>he panicked, not sure what else to say out loud that would deter him. <em>One dance would be regarded as normal, but two would be...then again, it’s not like I don’t want to dance with him or anything, but it’ll single me out more. Is it truly worth it?</em></p><p>Pale light that covered the backdrop of his memory of dancing with Alfred in that small practice room threatened to overshadow the glamour of the ballroom they were currently standing in. Yes, he’d experienced a near fall that would probably be on the news around Cards, making him even more of a laughingstock, but he was moving in unison with Alfred, being steadied by his arms. Some terribly traitorous side of him that had been awoken with the boy who’d accepted the prince’s bomber jacket on a freezing night wanted more, wanted to be close. Naturally, he could never say that out loud, but he couldn’t keep on denying himself everything.</p><p>He wanted to dance with him, possibly including all those dances that he’d written out on his card. Then again, whoever had said that violent delights had violent ends was correct. Dancing with the most eligible bachelor in Cards might not be a violent delight to most, but to someone who had been putting up walls since he was a child, it felt far more scandalous than anything else he’d ever known.</p><p>Instead of answering, the idiot reached forward and hooked out Arthur’s glove from his inner pocket, haphazardly wrapping it over his slender fingers and unhooking the dance card from his own wrist, looping that over Arthur’s. All the angry words that were about to be hurled at him disappeared at Alfred’s hand brushing against the skin of his sides, leaving a trail of heat in its wake. “Tell ya in a sec. Next song’s starting,” he said, lifting Arthur’s hand and leading him to the floor, tearing himself away from his own thoughts.</p><p>
  <em>I'll have to answer that later.</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>“You shouldn’t have taken it away from me,” Arthur hissed as soon as the dance had started. Alfred could see his chest rapidly rising and falling as he moved, the action so short that he ended up closer to him than he intended.</p><p><em>Where’s the bloody idiot looking? </em>“W-What could happen if someone wanted to ask me to dance?” he demanded again, doing his best to get back to the topic. “It would look bad, as if I’d ripped it off! I’m sure you’re aware of my poor reputation already-”</p><p>“No one would ask you to dance,” Alfred retorted, a fierceness in his eyes offset only by his pink cheeks. They ducked underneath a couple that he barely noticed before they joined once more. Not even the simplest dance could be free of ridiculousness.</p><p>“Pardon me?” He could barely hold back his indignant sputter. It was true, but at the same time, he’d be loath to hear it from him. “That’s a preposterous idea!”</p><p>He could already hear whispers in the crowd – were they there before, when the others were dancing with Alfred, or was it only because a commoner – a nobody like him – was?</p><p>As the next step dictated, he shifted his body forward, accidentally brushing his exposed wrist against Arthur’s, the skin contact amplified much more than he’d expected it to be. Since that tryst hidden behind layers of darkness and blue curtains, things he would have brushed off became magnified a thousand times – the softness underneath Alfred’s jaw, what the echo of his heartbeat felt like underneath his white shirt, the colour of his eyes hidden behind his wheat blond hair, the heat of his shoulder against his fingertips.</p><p>“No one would ask you to dance,” Alfred repeated, placing his mouth close to Arthur’s ear, “Because everyone in the room understands that your next dance belongs to me, and me only. My hand is yours for as long as you want.”</p><p><em>What sort of game are you playing in front of the world, Your Highness? </em>“What if I wasn’t willing to share with the others?” he challenged, trying to ignore how Alfred’s voice sent shivers up his spine and weakened him, almost in the same way he’d melted him down in the unused room. “Would you indulge my selfishness in front of everyone, Your Highness? Dance after dance?”</p><p>A bolt of excitement ran up his spine as he said it, daring him to retort. All the dancing and banter had gotten to his mind, leaving him with a headiness that seemingly defied his usual rational thinking. For a moment, cameras and scandal be damned, he wanted himself to be Alfred’s in public.</p><p>The blue in his eyes darkened, overpowering the chandeliers that hung above them as they moved. “Haven’t you noticed how I’ve saved my dances with you near the very end of the night? You know my answer,” his voice lowered, not moving his head away from Arthur’s. There was something behind that mask of formality, one that was half playful, half something that was deeper, something that he’d never felt before. Arthur wanted to take it off to see what was underneath, not to mention his coat, and possibly more.</p><p>Whatever rational thoughts left untouched by his closeness were setting off alarm bells with every step they made. Though a pair of gloves blocked their direct contact, their hands were clasped so tightly together that he could still feel the residual heat of the other’s body, and there was no escaping Alfred’s deep gaze from this distance. Fully intending to defy him, Arthur tilted his chin higher to meet it, daring Alfred to deny him.</p><p>“I do not, Your Highness.” The slow, dramatic music called for their bodies to entwine for a moment, practically chest to chest, as they danced. If they hadn’t kissed earlier, he would barely be able to force back the urge thrumming in his ribcage.</p><p>Neither of them spoke again within the next few minutes, Arthur allowing him to lead the dance. There were plenty of moments where he felt his steps were misaligned, due to whatever emotion simmering in his blood that only seared longer he was in Alfred’s arms, but he steered him around expertly. He’d swiftly become the confident dancer he’d longed for all throughout the night. Alfred’s grip lay unbroken on Arthur’s waist, keeping him close at all times, all semblance of proper distance being maintained tossed away. Really, he should acknowledge all the people watching them throughout the room, but the only thing he wanted to see was Alfred’s undaunted expression.</p><p>There was something in that gaze, something in that unfettered stability in guiding Arthur’s body that made his desire flare up even more in his throat, causing it to close up. The landscape the music painted, the lavishness of the entire party, the cameras trained on the ballroom floor, the countless people with their owlish eyes and whispers all faded into the background, leaving just the sensation of him and Alfred behind.</p><p>It could not have been more different than the darkened room they’d rendezvoused in, yet the sensation was similar. The closeness, the sparkle in his blue eyes and the muscle and bone of his body pressing against his was enough to invoke it. Worse still, it made him want to stop them in their tracks, smack dab in the middle of the room, and re-experience the passionate elation of kissing Alfred once again.</p><p>Alfred could barely wait to speak – judging by the feeling of his chest moving rapidly against his – until he’d positioned them a little farther away from the rest of the crowd. “Arthur Kirkland,” he murmured roughly, his full name spilling out of his parted lips as if he couldn’t get enough of it, “Just say the word.”</p>
<hr/><p>Standing outside, Francis still looked troubled. “Surely, dear Yao, you mean to reveal it eventually.”</p><p>“It’s just a dalliance, as you said,” Yao replied flatly, folding his arms, the feather in his cap bobbing.</p><p>Two of the most senior Cards royals had stepped outside from the party and were walking down a hallway side by side, their shoulders tense and mouths occupied with politics and bitterness.</p><p>“You two have been involved since your internship all those years ago. Quite long for a supposed dalliance.”</p><p>He didn’t turn to face him, abruptly stopping to cross the room and stare outside the window. “But that was then, and Fitz and Piper were here to take care of both the boys. I’m all they have now. I cannot abandon my duty for him.”</p><p>“I understand,” came the reply, and Yao opened his mouth to interject before shutting it sharply. “They have the rest of us, you know it,” Francis insisted. He took a step forward towards his fellow royal. “There’s not a single one of us that don’t love them.”</p><p>“Except one glaring exception,” Yao’s shoulders didn’t even flinch from their rigid state. “And you know who will be most devastated by the news if I told him. With everything on his plate now, I fear that it would have worse results than what was actually intended. Fates forbid, even cause him to turn on me.”</p><p>“Alfred loves you as if you were his parent, if you were concerned about that, which is preposterous. Nothing would make him turn on you.” He shook his head, blond locks tumbling as he did so. “And Matthieu has no argument with Ivan, and cares for you in the same way, so you can have faith in that as well.”</p><p>“...Frankly, if I didn’t trust you all so much, I wouldn’t have told anyone about it. It’s unimportant.”</p><p>“A Jack loving a King is hardly unimportant, not to mention your happiness. It’s not easy to disguise these things.”</p><p>“The only pair of King and Jack that truly matter together are Feliciano and Ludwig,” Yao exhaled, “And they’re married. Not to mention we know how much Cards adores them, and how well Hearts is doing.”</p><p>“As expected, you haven’t lost your edge. Regardless, even loving a monarch from another nation is no longer a scandal as it used to be.” Francis exhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose. “So why? You don’t have to be with him all the time.”</p><p>This seemed to take Yao off guard, and he paused, feet shuffling uncertainly once to the left, and once to the right. Save for the two senior monarchs, they were alone in the corridor. “The advisorship, for one. Knowing them, they’d jump at any opportunity to blow any issue up in our faces.”</p><p>“But I thought you were popular with the people? Has that not only grown greater with Alfie’s Deciding?”</p><p>“Personal popularity does not necessarily directly translate into support for the monarchy as an institution, I’m afraid,” Yao admitted. He didn’t turn away when Francis walked to his side, both now looking outside the windows. “We’ve been just Ace and Jack for two, almost three years, now. The bare minimum, meaning that we’re weak.”</p><p>“You and Matthieu are hardly weak as royals.”</p><p>“As a Primary Suit, we are. With the open disdain they showed the previous royals, I doubt their enmity will leave just because they’ve all…passed on.”</p><p>“Well, it isn’t a secret that none of us enjoy your advisorship’s presence,” he adjusted the flower in his lapel, “That’s for sure. Are you sure you don’t need assistance?”</p><p>“For what?” he said humourlessly, shaking his head. “They haven’t made any blatant moves other than trying to undermine all of our authority countless times, and operating that awful kangaroo court. Our hands are tied. Francis, you and Vash have been incredibly kind in even offering aid.”</p><p>“Vash?” Francis raised one manicured eyebrow. “Has he-”</p><p>“Earlier, in the Jacks’ Meeting. He didn’t even take me aside, since it was just the four of us in the room.”</p><p>“What did my Jack offer, exactly?”</p><p>“Military aid, the usual,” he replied. “Under the guise of true neutrality.”</p><p>“It’s true neutrality if there’s thirty of them against three of you. Did you take his offer?”</p><p>“I settled for asking him to do some work with me on my swordsmanship.”</p><p>Francis winced. “We’re here to have a Meeting, not <em>spar</em>. It feels horribly unglamorous and medieval. I don’t understand what he’s thinking most of the time. At times like these, I wish that our Fate would follow Hearts’s example, and just anoint that Mark by themselves without consulting us.”</p><p>“Perhaps,” Yao said, coolly moving his head slightly backwards to meet his miffed gaze. “But wouldn’t you agree that he has been Lili’s most steadfast protector? If he hadn’t worked tirelessly to defend those mines for her amplifier, even fighting at the front lines himself. She might not have lived to see her coronation. Clash or not, you cannot argue he hasn’t made Diamonds stronger.”</p><p>Watching his fellow royal squirm temporarily took off his mind off the question around the King of Clubs. “F-Fine. As long as he doesn’t turn Lili into a vassal of war. She begs him to teach her to wield a lance more every day.”</p><p>“That’s what youngsters do to people they look up to. Didn’t Gilbert do the same with you?”</p><p>“Yes, but...”</p><p>“Matthew did it when Alfred was preparing for service. And there’s nothing wrong with a queen wielding a weapon that’s not magic, though it is unusual.” <em>Like her mother</em>, but he tactfully left that part unspoken. Francis knew more than anyone how closely she resembled Jeanne.</p><p>“I suppose. Anyways,” he started to speak, but paused. “Wait, Yao. Are you sure you were safe in that room with the other Jacks?” His azure eyes marred with concern, but Yao was already a step before him.</p><p>“Don’t worry, Roderich was very thorough in his examinations. There weren’t any magical devices that we wouldn’t be able to detect. No detectable magical traces, either. If you’re worried about the advisorship, they’re not one for using magic.”</p><p>“Ah, at last. Something for our colleague to actually do.” Yao snorted, the first time he’d laughed since Francis had asked him to step out. “What? It’s true. You’re just too determined to be a good role model to Matthieu and Alfie to not badmouth him.”</p><p>“Says one of two <em>actual</em> fathers in Cards. Honestly, what would you have done without Eliza? And Roderich and I get along quite well, thank you very much. Still, Lili has become exquisitely accomplished in her work. I heard nothing but praises from the others at the ball tonight.”</p><p>Francis’s eyes softened as they did anytime anyone spoke highly of Lili. “I suspect that number will be doubled sooner or later, actually,” he said. “I heard from Gilbe that Ludwig and Felci are considering a child.”</p><p>“Oh? Following with the tradition of having children straight after a Deciding, are they?”</p><p>“Four years isn’t really straight after, is it? Though, speaking of a Deciding, have you been paying attention to I-” The moment his tone shifted, the word soured in Yao’s ears. “…Apologies. I should not have brought it up.” Even the light coming from the ballroom seemed to dim.</p><p>“No, no, Francis, don’t apologise, it’s just that…I don’t understand why. And I don’t understand why Roderich and Eliza indulged him with a pointless Deciding.”</p><p>“They still need their Ace.”</p><p>“They don’t need a Deciding to decide that with an almost full Primary Suit, do they?” Yao bit out, his fingers curling against the cold glass surface. “He comes calling the night before they arrive for the Meeting, begging me to give up Alfred and Matthew’s care to come to Clubs for his sake.”</p><p>“It won’t be pointless if he does find an Ace to work with,” Francis reasoned, but even he sounded troubled. “Though I sincerely doubt that will happen before Hearts’s Fate chooses <em>their</em> queen and Alfie chooses <em>his </em>queen. Rod and Eliza must believe in him a great deal. And you would never abandon your duty.”</p><p>Yao’s head turned. “So you believe that he just...said it? For the sake of saying it?”</p><p>“Rod and Eliza aren’t his caretakers; they run the kingdom alongside him. That’s it. In affairs of the heart, his decisions are rightfully his own. But I doubt it was a hollow plea.”</p><p>Pinching the bridge of his nose, he released a breath he’d been holding. Francis started pacing, trying to tune out the cheer of the ballroom behind them. “He still said that, knowing fully well that if I left the country, Spades would fall to that advisorship.”</p><p>He stopped his pacing, left foot lifted slightly in a half step. “Yao, we know his mind’s not stable enough to keep that in mind. They’re barely keeping Clubs together through their recovery as it is. They need a distraction. Isn’t that part of why a Deciding’s hosted?”</p><p>“The campaign’s still fresh in their minds. What sort of grand story wouldn’t solve it?” he said bitterly. “Though I do wish they’d at least planned it better. Three Decidings in one year, with two searching for queens, makes the Deciding looking for an Ace much less exciting. What were Roderich and Eliza thinking-”</p><p>“Both of them know better to pamper him like that,” Francis said. Fates knew they should be getting to the party, but it was rare for Yao to speak so openly, and even rarer for senior royals to speak alone. “The hope that he’ll will fall out of love with someone he’s been pursuing for the better part of a decade, and that some perfect Ace will be dropped on their laps just like that isn’t enough. They’re doing it because it’s a mostly painless way to cheer up the people.”</p><p>“And they’re rich. If there’s one thing Ivan’s uncle did that was good for Clubs, it was filling their coffers with war funds.”</p><p>Yao nodded once, sleek ponytail brushing past his shoulders. No poor servant had dashed out of the ballroom to drag them back inside, so nothing should be awry. “Perhaps. I don’t doubt their ability to keep Clubs running, that’s for sure, but with Ivan still being so unstable, especially when it comes to the situation in the Easterns…I can’t blame him.”</p><p>“None of us can,” Francis echoed, adjusting his collar and following his gaze back to the party. “Fighting in the bitter cold, sent there to die by his uncle. That would change any one of us.”</p><p>He understood what story he’d stopped just short of recalling, the story of how he’d barely managed to rescue Alfred from the same fate by sending him off to the military whilst they’d been assigned somewhere else. But instead of a singular tyrant, there were a whole council of them, one that he was near powerless to protect him from alone.</p><p>Francis watched his expression carefully, attempting to figure out whether he’d pushed him too far. When Yao simply exhaled, hugging his folded arms closer to his chest and lifting his chin to face him, he spoke. “Yao. You should allow yourself some happiness. You’ve kept Alfred and Matthew safe these five years. They’ve both grown into wonderful young men by your guidance.”</p><p>“I have everyone to thank for that.” He didn’t move, but he noticed his downcast expression lift somewhat. “You, especially for Matthew, by taking him under your wing so quickly.”</p><p>“I suppose you could say we have a duty as senior royals, no?” Francis smiled. “Still. Allow yourself to be with him, at least for tonight. It’s simple to hide affection underneath the guise of dancing, at least for the sake of your boys.”</p><p>Yao met Francis’s lighthearted gaze with a rueful smile. “You don’t have to spare me. We’ve been doing a poor job of keeping the relationship under wraps from the other royals, have we?”</p><p>“It’s not exactly the best kept secret in Cards, but there are more important ones to keep. Regardless. I doubt Rod or Eliza will let you two go without at least one dance, the way you’ve been chasing each other.”</p><p>“Fates save us from their happy matrimony.” He snorted, adjusting his sleeve. “With the way they carry on, they barely have any right.”</p><p>“There’s no need to sound so bitter about love, dear Yao. If you’d like some pointers,” he couldn’t resist winking, which was met with an unamused gaze, “Well. Your favourite Diamonds king is at your disposal. Regardless, we should get back to dancing.”</p><p>“Seems as if that’s the preferred way for everyone to socialise,” Yao said, but nodded once. “Thank you, Francis. It’s good to speak in person.”</p><p>“The same here.”</p><p>Turning back to the ballroom, they walked together side by side.</p><p>“Though before I forget,” he said before he pushed open the back door where they could slip back inside with relatively little fanfare. “I’d prefer you, Gilbert and Antonio to not do that bizarre three way dance again.”</p>
<hr/><p>The music ended, and with it their first dance. Clapping echoed around the vast hall, and Arthur followed suit, maintaining eye contact with Alfred whilst he did so. He found that not a single word would pass from his mind to his mouth, stubbornly shying away when he tried to talk.</p><p>One little word could make him his for the evening. It was an immense amount of power to have over a future king, immense power he wasn’t comfortable with having. If they hadn’t been in a midst of a Deciding, Arthur would have taken him up on his offer without hesitation.</p><p>It had been two and a half months, and he’d shared three kisses with him, something that seemed forbidden to even think about, not to mention he hated counting those acts of affection as if they were a tangible thing. Yes, he liked him very much. He wouldn’t even allow himself to manifest the other <em>l </em>word to describe his affections. How would Alfred know he was worth spending all this time with so soon? Taking away everyone else’s chances to dance with him would be reckless and unfair, not to mention making him a clear target. The amount of attention he’d get was enough to make him want to break out of the palace.</p><p>And yet, the idea of having someone like Prince Alfred Jones belong to him, even if it were just for the night, was intoxicating.</p><p>“Thank you, Sir Arthur, for the dance,” he said, back to his usual cheery self, almost like their exchange hadn’t happened. Still, there was an unbridled yearning in the way he lifted his gloved hand to his chest, unwilling to break their contact. Quietly, Arthur watched as he slipped his glove off his hand, even the white fabric seeming to stutter at how meticulously and slowly he removed it. Before he could take it off completely, though, Arthur mischievously curled his fingers inwards and held onto it for a moment longer, causing Alfred’s gaze to meet his.</p><p>What happened next completely upturned his plans for taunting. Skipping a beat, Alfred raised his hand to his mouth, dragging his lips against the smooth whilst he tugged off Arthur’s glove sharply. “I hope it wasn’t too exhausting for you, and that you’ll seek out another one with me.” With that, he pressed his lips into the back of Arthur’s hand, the sensation betraying more intimacy than he’d expected from a pair who were supposed to be keeping the extent of their relationship <em>secret</em>.</p><p>Two could play at that game.</p><p>“The pleasure has been mine, Your Highness,” he answered, waiting until Alfred had released his hand with deliberate slowness. Furrowed eyebrows told him that he was sick of him using the honourific, which only spurred him to want to do it more. “Though I must say,” he reached out and grasped his tie before his self doubt could stop him. “That your tie has come loose once more. Might you allow me to adjust it for you?”</p><p>Before Alfred could stop him, a smirking Arthur expertly fixed his tie, fingers deft after years of wearing the holding facility uniform. Unlike all those other times he’d helped Kiku or his siblings with their ties, though, this was different. Alfred’s starched collar and the expensive material of the tie caught on every crevice of his fingers, making the action seem far too intimate, so much so that he almost glared at his neck in concentration.</p><p>That had the unfortunate side effect of giving him a undisturbed view of the dip in Alfred’s collarbones, the shadows standing out amongst his white shirt. The silver beads of his dog tags shone dully against the chains of his golden clock, dislodged from their prim position from the way he’d fixed his tie.</p><p>Before he could stop <em>himself</em>, Arthur nudged it back to its normal position with his bare fingers, the effect of Alfred’s skin on his immediate. All at once, the babble of the room, the lilting music of the orchestra, the sound of glasses clinking, the elegant footsteps and the hushed gossip of the attendees around them threatened to overwhelm him, and he stepped backwards as if he’d been burned.</p><p>Silently finishing with it, Alfred still wasn’t even making any steps to pull away. Any moment now, the cameras would swoop in and make a huge fuss over it, but the knot in his chest had morphed into an anchor, causing him to be rooted where he stood.</p><p>Though at the same time, he knew if Alfred were to walk away, he’d follow his path, which left only one thing to do. “I hope you enjoy the rest of the party, Your Highness. Thank you very much for the dance. I wish, if I may be so bold, to have another one with you later.” Bowing once, he balled up his hands into his pockets, making himself move away from him as hastily as possible.</p><p>An enveloping sensation made itself known around his bare hand, making him realise that Alfred had wrapped a thumb over his fist. “Hey, you kinda forgot your glove,” he said, handing it to him which he urgently reached out for. Boldly, Alfred moved closer as Arthur was putting it back on, resting his cheek against his hair. <em>Are you going to touch me again? At least give me some leeway to recollect my thoughts if you are, idiot...</em></p><p>“Don’t forget. You can just say the word whenever.” Arthur swallowed once, focus dropping to Alfred’s throat, and how it moved vulnerably whilst he spoke. He had to retreat immediately, before he took him up on that offer.</p><p>As expected though, he wouldn’t even be allowed to do that without another bold move. Watching with baited breath, Arthur felt Alfred’s fist relax to cup his forearm with a firm grip, pinching the top of his glove to slide it back on for him. Whilst he did so, his index and middle fingers dragged slowly over the exposed skin of his palm, the two of them making eye contact as he did so, leaving his hand tingling. The strange sensation of his roughened fingertips against satin coupled with their body heat made him feel that much more sensitive.</p><p>“You need not worry, Sir Arthur. Enjoy the rest of the party, okay?” he beamed, his voice lifting from its previously husky tone, probably for the cameras that had just convened on their interaction. “I’ll see you around for sure!”</p><p>With that, Arthur forced his shaking legs to stand properly and bow in greeting before he walked away, seeking refuge within the nearest bench which he collapsed on. Quickly taking a glass of water from a passing waiter, he gulped it down, doing his best to clear his mind of what had just happened. The clock hanging on the wall opposite where he was sitting read one in the morning – had it really been that long? The dance itself felt like it had only been a few minutes of being unravelled with each step he took in his arms, unable to resist each other when they’d finally been able to be seen together in public for a valid reason.</p><p>Unconsciously, Arthur started hunting for him, something that only took a matter of seconds, given that he was surrounded by a bevy of cameras and people and was babbling off at his usual top speed. The moment he <em>did </em>notice himself staring, though, his expression shifted quickly into a scowl, and he looked away. It was a dangerous game, and he had to remember that.</p><p>But how could he expect his walls to protect him against a radiance that rivalled the sun?</p><p>Across the room, in the midst of socialising and incessant conversation, Alfred rubbed his thumb and forefingers together where they rested at his side, feeling Arthur Kirkland seep further into his skin.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Please please leave me your thoughts, I'd love to hear anything you have to say about the chapter/fic :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. Act 30</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Actually on time this week, shock horror. Sorry that this one too is a bit long, my mind just went 'hedge maze' and 'gazebo' and lost all semblance of self control, lol.</p><p>This chapter's a bit special to me personally. A few years ago, during the original fic's publishing on FFNet, my dear friend by the name of AV_Dragnire on AO3/ami-v-dragnire on tumblr drew an amazing piece of fanart, which a scene of this chapter is based upon. I'd planned on rewriting a scene to match the fanart more closely, so here it finally is. :)</p><p>The piece of fanart can be found, for those curious, here (https://ami-v-dragnire.tumblr.com/post/168461862528) It's absolutely amazing, so please check it and her works out!</p><p>Alright, enough from me, please enjoy this chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Ah, Alfie!” Feliciano called cheerfully to him, Ludwig perched on his arm. “We were just watching Lovino get along with the new Ace!”</p><p>“Awesome! What about Gilbutter?” One of the best inside jokes he had with the Joker was to give each other ridiculous nicknames to mess with Ludwig.</p><p>“Alfred, please-”</p><p>“I think he was talking to your brother last time we checked in,” Feliciano said, humouring him and ignoring his husband’s exasperated look. “Anyway! How was your dance with your Chosen? Did you have fun? Did all the pointers I talked about help you, hm?”</p><p>“Uh, a little,” he admitted, blushing a little at the bold tips the Jack had shared, not to mention his waggling eyebrows. He knew that Feliciano had been a bit of a casanova before he married his best friend, but...</p><p>“Awesome!” he chirped. “Are you do – oh, you look tired, poor thing, come sit with Ludwig and me! Come on Ludwig! You don’t have to put down your food, just come here!”</p><p>Valiantly letting himself be dragged, the three of them found a bench at the corner of the room and sat down, Alfred sandwiched in the middle. Almost instantly Feliciano reached out for Ludwig’s hand across his lap, giving it a squeeze. Fighting back a grin, Alfred watched his best friend’s stoic demeanour crumble in the face of his husband’s affection.</p><p>“Hey, I can just give you two some privacy, y’know,” Alfred smirked, placing his hands over his head. Ludwig opened his mouth to protest, but like always, Feliciano got there first.</p><p>“Of course not, Alfred! You being the man of the hour – no, of all the hours-”</p><p>“...Feli, that’s not a phrase-”</p><p>“Shh! Means that everyone’s going to want to talk to you! Including us!” Feliciano exclaimed, the red feather in his cap bouncing as he spoke animatedly, waving his hands around. “Not to mention you look super tired, have you been dancing all night?”</p><p>“Kinda,” Alfred admitted, rubbing at the small of his back. “I mean, didn’t Lud do that too? During his Deciding? You talked to me about it the day after.”</p><p>Ludwig looked even more embarrassed. “Y-Yes, but that was with eight people, not...twenty,” he said. “Even someone with as much energy as you would be tired, Alfred.”</p><p>“Are you planning to cut any of them after this?” Taking a bite of the biscuit he’d just plucked out of a passing waiter’s hand, his brown eyes sparkled. “Twenty’s a lot, you know! Even though there’s a lot of people, you have someone, right?”</p><p>Alfred blinked at him. “Someone?”</p><p>“Yeah!” he gestured enthusiastically. “Someone’s gotta have caught your eye, right?”</p><p>“R-Right.” From the look on Ludwig’s face, he didn’t know where this was going either. Not sure what to do, he assumed that Feliciano was berating him for keeping so many people around like the advisors had only a few days ago, but then he’d only told his best friend.</p><p>Not everyone could understand how relying on others might be a weakness, except him. Then again, there was little he didn’t trust Ludwig with.</p><p>“I get that, but it’s only been like two and a half months, so I was kinda worried that it might be moving too fast, so I didn’t want to eliminate everyone so soon, but then again-”</p><p>Gently, Feliciano shook away the din of the packed ballroom and leaned forward, patting Alfred’s tasselled shoulder with a fond expression. “Alfie, that’s not what I meant!” He was about to launch into a even more flustered apology until the Jack continued. “Don’t worry about it, it’s <em>your </em>Deciding, you can keep it as long as you like with as many people.”</p><p>“Then, uh...” Alfred flushed, “Sorry, Feli, what did you mean?”</p><p>Ludwig and Feliciano exchanged a look, sharing an understanding that only ran between a married couple. “Er. What he means, Alfred, is whether you’ve found someone you like so far. Was there anyone you danced with today, that is-”</p><p>“Yes, yes!” Feliciano cried, causing both of them to wince at its suddenness, obviously causing all the multitudes of people that were swilling around their bench to stare. Alfred couldn’t help but fight off a grin at how easily he was able to ignore the atmosphere to keep the conversation going.</p><p>“Feli, please...”</p><p>“Sorry! Anyway, is there someone in particular you have your eye on? I mean! Have you found someone you like?” Realising he was probably thinking of his homemade list of the people he was pulling for, Alfred exhaled. He didn’t like second guessing people, especially not Feli; he’d been nothing but kind to him and had made his friend stupid happy. He kinda envied the guy for being so in love.</p><p>“Well, there <em>is</em> someone,” he said, and in that moment Feliciano and Ludwig would have given anything to peek at the name that clearly popped up in his mind. “H-Huh? Lud, Feli, what’s with the-”</p><p>“It’s nothing,” Feliciano exclaimed, choosing to wrap his junior in a tight hug. Against the crook of his neck, he looked up, exchanging a glance with Ludwig, who made a tiny shake of his head. <em>Don’t tell him you know about the incident with his advisors. </em>He’d sworn his husband to great secrecy and knew that he’d never talk about the tumultuous situation, but it was best to remind him.</p><p>Pulling away, he gave him a reassuring beam. “We’re just so happy to see that you’ll get a happy ending! Like us! I’m sure you’ll definitely get the happiest ending ever, with the happiest person ever, making you the,” he paused to gesture with his left hand, “happiest king ever! Like Ludi! Isn’t that right, Ludi?”</p><p>“Not just because of marriage, since we managed to have a full Primary Suit until Gilbert became Joker, and Cards has been prospering enough for us to enjoy our time together like this – ah, Feli, don’t look so upset, of course because of you as well.” Ludwig mumbled, awkwardly squeezing his dismayed husband’s hand. “A-Anyway, Alfred. We’re really happy for you. Everyone is, that you’ve finally gotten your own Deciding.”</p><p>
  <em>That’s not the whole picture, not quite.</em>
</p><hr/><p>It was around three in the morning before Alfred decided to take a break. He’d just finished spending a dance with Elizabeta, having finished dancing with all twenty of the Chosen, before the Clubs queen noticed he looked exhausted.</p><p>“Alfie, let’s sit down, shall we?” she smiled, escorting him gently to a seat in the corner. Calling for two drinks before he could do so, she handed him some water and adjusted a pin in his jacket, every action warm. “You’ve been working very hard tonight, and everyone else has been taking note.”</p><p>“I hope so. Dancing with twenty people is a lot! Then again, hasn’t everyone been doing their own share of it?”</p><p>“Not really, with how Roderich has been sitting around almost the entire evening.” Adjusting her skirts, she took the first cup of water and gave it to him. “I’ve had to dance several times with Lili, and as much as her dancing skills are improving, well, she’s growing older.”</p><p>Alfred gratefully took a long gulp of the water. “Maybe by the summer solstice, she’ll not need to step on anyone else’s toes?”</p><p>“Hm? Are you planning to host another during the summer? With you being busy and all...” she tried to make her tone sound neutral, but a hint of her excitement bubbled underneath.</p><p>“It’s great for the Deciding coverage, I think. With all the cameras and stuff here, we’re hoping this one’ll work too.”</p><p>Whilst lifting her cup, her long brown hair tumbled past her arm. “That would be lovely, yes. Though you mustn’t overdo it either. What are we going to do with you, Matthew and Yao? Chronic overworkers, the three of you.”</p><p>“It’ll get better after the Deciding ends, I promise,” Alfred smiled. In response, Elizabeta raised her emerald gloved pinkie and reached out, hooking their fingers together. “Promise.”</p><p>“You better, or I’ll personally take a ship from Clubs and come nag you and Yao for not taking better care of you boys! Anyway. Any exclusive Deciding gossip?” <em>Oh, so that’s what she’s trying to get at...</em>Smiling at himself despite his nerves, he nodded. “Ooh, go on. No need to worry, my lips are sealed. Have you found someone yet? Feli said you had.”</p><p>“Ah, yeah, I do,” Alfred was about to share a little more until he saw Elizabeta tense. Gathering her expensive skirts, she stood up abruptly, causing Alfred to stand shoulder to shoulder together with her, wearing a slightly confused expression. “Eliza...?”</p><p>“Your Highness,” Aileen – of course it was her – stepped forward, her purple badge glinting in the light of the room. “It <em>is </em>a pleasure. I hope I haven’t interrupted your conversation.”</p><p>“Is there anything you need of him?” Elizabeta demanded, eyes narrowing. One of her arms reached out to place Alfred behind her, as if she could protect him from the wrath of his advisors.</p><p>“I would merely like to ask for a dance.” His advisor’s voice voice shook a little, which surprised him. “N-Not, naturally, to mention to discuss the Deciding with him, I was concerned that he was about to make a rather rash decision. You know how teenagers are these days, Queen Elizabeta? Correct?”</p><p>By the Fates, <em>why </em>did he talk to them all those days ago? Thoughts of when and who to eliminate should have been shared with people he trusted, and that was certainly not them. Wincing, he tried to fend off the memory of them screaming at him that he shouldn’t eliminate this person, he shouldn’t eliminate that person, he should keep them but throw out all those people. He wouldn’t admit to the crying in the bathroom right afterwards, though Matthew probably knew.</p><p>Alfred didn’t know how, but it seemed like Elizabeta felt his fear as she moved closer to him. “Excuse me, Miss...I don’t think we’ve met before,” she paused deliberately, and by the Fates it took every bone in Alfred’s body to not smile at Aileen’s frustrated expression that she had no idea who she was.</p><p>“I’m the head of the Spadian advisorship. Your Highness.” she added hastily, though it wasn’t hard to catch the simmering resentment behind it.</p><p>Elizabeta didn’t miss a moment to be dismissive. “Yes, that,” she said. “I’ve been raising two teenage daughters, myself. Regardless, you’ll have to excuse the prince and I; it’s been far too long since we’ve been able to speak in person. I’m too eager to discuss his extraordinary growth,” Pausing to pat his shoulder, she gave Alfred a quick reassuring glance before facing her again. “And of course, his Deciding, which he has handled extremely well. If you’ll excuse us.”</p><p>Before Alfred could catch his advisor’s face, Elizabeta turned on her heel and led him to where Yao and – ugh, Ivan – were standing, chatting quietly. They seemed startled at their appearance which was fair enough seeing how she’d swept them quickly across the room.</p><p>“Yao, dear, is it all right if Alfred takes a few moments to himself? He looks exhausted, poor thing, and he’s far too polite to refuse a dance from all the people who’ve been asking,” Elizabeta said, dipping into a slight curtsy. “Just for him to clear his head.”</p><p>“Uh, Eliza-”</p><p>“Party’s in full swing now,” she continued brightly, nudging him with the sole of her heel. Right, she was trying to get him out of trouble with the advisors for a bit. “If there’s any opportunity to give him a breather, might as well be now, right? He deserves a rest more than any of us tonight.”</p><p>Alfred resisted the urge to cling onto her like he had always done with his mother. There wasn’t any way he could thank her for intervening on his behalf.</p><p>“Oh, Alfred, you should have told me,” Yao nagged, but there wasn’t any annoyance in his expression as he met his gaze. To his pleasant surprise, he looked happy. Relaxed, even. His mentor really needed to enjoy himself after the stress of the past months. “Yes, of course. Actually, do you want to go to bed altogether? It’s all right if you don’t think you’ve fulfilled your duties, you’ve been working very hard tonight, and your wellbeing comes first-”</p><p>“Ahah, haha, Yao, you don’t need to say that kinda stuff, it might get to my head,” Alfred babbled. Maybe it was a little embarrassing with – ugh, Ivan – standing there, but it felt something else to accept praise from the people he cared for. “But yeah, if that’s okay with you, I’d like to step out for a bit. I’ll come back as soon as I feel good enough, yeah?”</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>“Have fun, Alfie,” Ivan – ugh, Ivan – said lightly, waving once. He looked happy, but he’d learned to not trust guys like him from his military service. But fair was fair, and it didn’t feel right to not grip his hand as tightly as he could and shake it back.</p><p>“Don’t call me Alfie, but I’ll do my best!” he tried his best to smile through gritted teeth, relaxing so quickly it was stupid when he turned around to give Elizabeta a hug. “Eliza...thank you.”</p><p>“No need, little one,” she said affectionately, patting his head, watching his cowlick bob with amusement. “You’ll be more than welcome to tell me <em>all </em>about the Deciding later. Lili and I are counting on it, alright?”</p><p>Alfred grinned. “You can count on me.”</p><hr/><p>Arthur was starting to feel drowsy. With this, he knew parties in the Inner Circle were as extravagant and excessive as Kiku had described them to be. How long were the revellers going to revel for? It was almost three thirty in the morning, and all of his friends still looked like they could go on for another day.</p><p>Interestingly though, some people <em>were </em>peeling off for the night, just not enough that it seemed like the party was over. At least, none of the royals seemed to be absent. He tried to not look nervous when he saw Matthew dancing with Gilbert, and it took him another long minute to realise that he was indeed subconsciously searching for him.</p><p>He’d managed to stay low profile after that dance to his great relief, but if he wasn’t smart about looking for Alfred it might change. Without the people he could trust, being in such a lavish ballroom made him feel as if he were a fish in an aquarium, somewhere he’d only visited once during a field trip. The numerous pairs of eyes that had rested on him and Alfred had felt the same as the way he had bunched up against the glass with the rest of his classmates.</p><p>Another minute passed. Arthur stopped shaking his leg. Another minute. No bobbing cowlick to be found. He took another sip of champagne, and no sight of Alfred, but he hadn’t had the chance to ask his friends. Was he even still in the ballroom?</p><p>There, just in the corner to the left of the pillar, was Alfred, manifesting almost like magic. Getting up from his bench, he took two steps forward before he realised what he was doing and quickly restrained himself, standing dumbly in front of the bench as he watched him speak with his fellow royals. The ease with which he conducted himself with the people he obviously trusted sent a pang through Arthur’s heart. Why couldn’t he make him feel as secure as that?</p><p>Another minute passed, and he was still talking with them. It was three thirty in the morning now. Arthur realised he was probably in the way of a packed ballroom, and moved a little closer to the entrance, still occasionally sneaking tiny glances in his direction. Alfred was speaking with the King of Clubs now, and looked much more stressed than he had with the Queen of Clubs. Another minute.</p><p>Arthur tilted his head slightly, taking in the sensation of watching Alfred grin widely, his pearly whites displayed prominently as he spoke to Jack Yao. Sharply turning away, he cursed him for being too bloody perfect, unconsciously running his tongue over his own uneven row of teeth. Why did crown princes get to have a free set of wonderful teeth?</p><p>All of a sudden, he turned away from his companions, sharing another few words with Queen Elizabeta before breaking away and heading straight for the side exit. Between the bustling noise of the room and the rapid movements, if Arthur hadn’t been looking at him he would have missed his departure through the side door, much smaller than the grand entrance.</p><p><em>Where are you going? </em>He had been having a great time, especially since he’d stopped dancing. With how Alfred had recklessly written his name so many times, he daren’t show his dance card to another soul.</p><p>There wasn’t any real reason he’d want to leave so early, right? Unless he had a serious disagreement with the King of Clubs – everyone knew they did not get along for unclear reasons, but he had been cheerful when talking to Jack Yao and Queen Elizabeta...</p><p>Out of concern, or some other foolish emotion that made his heart throb with worry, Arthur located the nearest door and pushed his way through it, which didn’t garner much glances from what he saw. Though he was a Chosen, there were twenty of them, and being from a holding facility in a crowd of the social upper crust meant he could disappear without much fanfare.</p><p>Alfred was moving fast, much faster than Arthur thought an exhausted person who’d be dancing all night would be, so with a hint of irritation he gave up his idea to catch up to him, settling for simply following him at a distance. He stopped at the first floor, placing his hand on the door that led to the royals’ bedrooms before turning on his heel and continuing down the stairs, meaning that Arthur had to duck behind a banister to avoid being noticed. Great, alongside the sweat beading on his back and his forehead, his rapid panting and sore feet, Alfred was now giving him whiplash. Where in the name of the Fates was he going to go?</p><p>...Surely, he wasn’t so upset that he’d want to leave the palace entirely? There wasn’t much else to do on the ground floor. Perhaps, the stables, for his horse, Butterscotch? Arthur had no idea where it was, but he’d hazard a guess that it was easier to keep the horses outdoors than on the third floor. Distracted temporarily by the sight of him pulling off both his gloves in rapid succession, he continued to walk.</p><p>Ambling down the staircase, he paused until Alfred opened the two side doors in front of the columned walkway that led to the gardens. Was he going there to just let off steam? Knowing he wanted to go there was enough cause for Arthur to pick up the pace, almost tripping in his haste as he barely managed to catch the closing doors and slip through.</p><p>He was hit with the cool spring air immediately; a pleasant sensation against his heated cheeks and smelling of the dried flowers he and Anna had chatted about whilst getting ready for the party. Alfred’s back was still turned away from him, and a sense of urgency dulled Arthur’s worry about them being caught as he jogged across the walkway, the columns flying past as he did so. “Alfred?”</p><p>Like he’d been struck by lightning, Alfred whipped around and stopped, but his broad shoulders relaxed when he saw him. “A-Artie? What’cha doing here?”</p><p>“Could ask you the same thing,” Arthur panted as he approached. “And it’s <em>Arthur</em>, not Artie.”</p><p>“Sure thing, Artie,” he fired back, walking forward until they met in the middle, a pillar obscuring their faces.</p><p>“<em>Arthur</em>,” But the protest was feeble at best.</p><p>“Uh huh. But I, uh, just had to get clear of the party for a bit. Just for a bit of fresh air.”</p><p>Something was off about that statement, and the way he was smiling too widely again. “That’s odd, I thought if you had to get air at a party you’d just step outside, not go to a completely different location,” he said. “Alfred...is something wrong?”</p><p>He swallowed audibly. “Nah. Nope, no.”</p><p>“Alfred,” Arthur said, inadvertedly quieting his tone as he did so. “It’s all right if you don’t want to share what it is exactly. Was it the King of Clubs? I’m aware that you don’t have the best of relationships with him-” That was as far as he got before he quickly cupped his mouth with his hand. It must be the air, coupled with Alfred’s presence, that had removed the careful filter between his head and his mouth. “I’m...do excuse me, that was improper. I’ll excuse myself.”</p><p>The frustration was palpable on his face, confirming his suspicions, but what came out of his mouth next was even worse. “I, uh...I can’t really lie to you, can I, Artie?”</p><p>“Pardon?” <em>What does that mean? Who was that frustration directed towards?</em></p><p>“You totally were looking out for me on purpose, right?”</p><p><em>Yes</em>. “N-No, I have no idea what you mean,” Arthur bluffed, the heat in his cheeks returning from being swept away by the breeze. “It – it was an absolute coincidence. It’s not like I came outside to see if you were all right or anything, t-that would be overly reckless of me, I wasn’t...wasn’t worried at all about you, I-”</p><p>In his rushed mumbling, he didn’t notice Alfred’s expression softening. “Hey, Artie, since you’re en route, let’s walk together for a bit, yeah?”</p><p>“Walk? Where to-”</p><p>“The gardens, right? I know you really like it there,” he said. “C’mon, let’s walk for a bit.”</p><p>Arthur hesitated. They’d already evaded media attention for most of the night, so perhaps tempting the Fates too much would be excessive.</p><p>“No need to worry, everyone’s at the party, yeah? If anything happens, the hero’ll protect you!” Extending out his hand, he gave Arthur a wink. Something about the columns and the moonlight extending their shadows over his hand pushed him the closest to taking it than he’d ever had.</p><p>“I still won’t take your hand, Your Highness,” Arthur couldn’t help but snicker, continuing to move across the walkway, Alfred matching every step with his. “Tch, there’s no need to pout. So, hero, what’s the matter?”</p><p>“Nothing much that I’m not used to, that’s all,” Alfred said, scrunching his hands in his uniform pockets. “With all the royals visiting, there’s a lot of pressure.”</p><p>Arthur’s head moved a little to observe his face. “I was under the impression that you all got together well? At least, my teachers used to harp on about how it was rare in modern times that everyone from the Four Kingdoms got along so well.”</p><p>“Yeah, your teachers aren’t wrong, we do, we do.” <em>Save from one glaring exception</em>, Arthur thought as he watched Alfred’s face twist fleetingly. “Then again, it means that the media wants to see us interact more, and I’ve gotta catch up with a dozen people at once. It gets overwhelming at times. Y’know?”</p><p>“Alfred, for most of my life I’ve had my best friend and little else in terms of friends,” Arthur replied. “Unfortunately, I have no idea what it must feel to be wanted by everyone in the room.”</p><p>He got a shrug in response. “Sometimes that’s a good thing.”</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>“Even a guy like me has limits.”</p><p>Arthur was about to shoot back a scathing remark about his ego, but he noticed how Alfred’s expression didn’t lighten as it usually did when he tried to make a joke about something. The columns they walked past were more than eager to reach over and obscure his face, cloaking it with darkness that matched his turbulent expression.</p><p>For a moment, he forgot about his own troubles with the cameras and the lack of privacy. He’d studied about the Spadian royal family, and there were thousands of records about Alfred all throughout his life, the photos and the incessant press interviews only stopped by his military deployment.</p><p><em>Though he shines so brightly in the spotlight, it doesn’t necessarily mean he enjoys it all of the time. </em>Arthur gave himself a little shake, starting to understand him a tiny bit better.</p><p>Stopping abruptly, Alfred turned to look at him. “Artie? Are you cold? Here, take my ja-wait, never mind, it’s kinda too heavy, heh.”</p><p>“It’s a <em>military uniform, </em>that would be incredibly disrespectful.”</p><p>“Won’t!” Alfred blushed. In that moment, they had stopped between two columns, leaving an empty space for the moonlight to enhance the pink on his cheeks. “I-If, y’know, it means you won’t be cold-”</p><p>“I’m all right, idiot,” he said, though his barb was tinted with less thorns than usual. “I just...I was just processing what you said. That’s all. With everyone wanting to see you everywhere, including me, then not being able to take care of your needs, it must be exhausting. Not to mention all those people criticizing you.”</p><p>His blue eyes widened slightly. “People criticizing me? Uh...uh, who did you hear that from? Who were they?”</p><p>“I suppose,” Arthur said. “When you were engrossed in conversation with the King and Queen of Clubs and Jack Yao, and it’s not a secret that you and King Ivan don’t have the best of relationships.”</p><p>“Oh...heh, yeah, just a little. So that’s who you think was criticizing me?”</p><p>They started to walk again. “So I concluded.”</p><p>“Oh, okay. Okay.” He released a long sigh before he continued to speak. “Don’t worry about it, okay, Artie? I can handle myself, and, y’know. It’s a bit of a rivalry, kinda. Nothing worth going to war over. It’s no big deal, promise. Don’t worry about who’s criticizing me!”</p><p>If Arthur had not gotten to know him quite well over these past few months, he wouldn’t be able to detect the wobble in his voice, or how he’d suddenly sounded incredibly relieved. That alone told him there was something he was missing. Then again, if Alfred didn’t want to share, it was probably for a very good reason.</p><p>So he let it go. “Very well, Alfred. Er, wait, I thought the entrance was a little further down the walkway?”</p><p>Lowering his chin to look straight into Arthur’s eyes, which made his heart traitorously skip a beat, Alfred winked again. “True, but that’s to another part of the gardens, yeah? I know you know how large it is, so I wanted to, uh, show you another part tonight! If that’s okay. If you haven’t, uh, visited it already.”</p><p>“Well, I’m wearing a suit jacket, so I won’t have to worry about being cold, git,” Arthur gave a noncommittal jerk of his shoulders, attempting to play off his excitement by looking away, fending off the anticipation simmering underneath his skin. “No need to worry, there hasn’t been much time between my reading to visit the gardens again. Is it particularly secret?”</p><p>“I’ll show ya! Come on!” Alfred exclaimed, and before Arthur could protest at his loudness he’d bolted off.</p><hr/><p>It was, to Arthur’s astonishment, a hedge maze. A creation of such scale and beauty was something that he’d only read about in books and pictures. The memory of reading about it must have existed at the back of his mind, but in the heat of the moment, he was too taken with it to remember.</p><p>“Whaddya think? Pretty cool, right? Matt and I used to come here with Lud and Gilber – uh, I mean, King Ludwig and Joker Gilbert – when we were kids, and we’d play hide and seek all the time.” Alfred clearly was reliving a lot of happy memories as they approached the grand structure, faintly lit by lamps around and within its perimeter. “So, if something happens and you get lost, as a hero I’ll come to grab you!”</p><p>“I can figure out my own way, thanks,” Arthur huffed. Walking further towards it, he could barely make out hedges adorned with blue and red roses, topiaries that seemed to barely skim the tops of the maze, and a white structure at what looked to be the middle. “Is that where we’re supposed to,” he gestured at it – “Aim for? Or does the maze have an exit point?”</p><p>“Nah, the entrance and exit are the same. People who come here usually either play hide and seek or wanna come see the gazebo. Gazee-bo? Gah-zey-bo? I dunno.”</p><p>Peering closer at the structure, he could see the trademark cupola perched on top of the beautifully curved roof, supported by lean white pillars and crisscrossed beams. If he had Kiku’s skill with the camera, he’d be tempted to take a photo and send it to him in a letter. “It’s pronounced <em>gazebo</em>,” he answered, not looking back at him. “Honestly, you said correctly the first time. Don’t fuss over it too much.”</p><p>“Are ya complimenting me for once?! What’s this magic about?”</p><p>Ignoring <em>that </em>jab, Arthur stepped ahead of him, wanting to explore in spite of the evening and the crickets chirping merrily, punctuating the sound of the early morning. Though the visibility was greatly reduced than compared to daytime, he’d never been afraid of the dark, and how different the maze looked intrigued him. “Can we go in?”</p><p>“Yeah, but let’s make it more fun! Race ya,” Alfred teased him with a touch on his shoulder that lingered a second too long, before darting inside. “First one to get inside the gazee-bo – uh, I mean, the gazebo, wins!”</p><p>“It’s <em>gazebo</em> – and wins what?” Arthur shouted, barely having time to process Alfred’s bare hand on his shoulder, whipping around. “Alfred, you git, what – that’s bloody unfair! You’ve been running through this maze since you were a child, I’ll barely indulge that ridiculous request!”</p><p>A hoot came from within the maze. “Less talking, more running! I won’t go easy on you, even though I like you a lot. The prize is gonna be super awesome, I promise!”</p><p>Fates knew how much Arthur hated the shiver of lovesickness that ran its course through his system when he heard what Alfred had said. Though he knew that there was something Alfred was troubled by, if Arthur himself could take his mind off of it, it was a reward in itself.</p><p>Not...not like he’d ever confess to that preposterous thinking, of course. Instead of speaking the truth, he strode defiantly into the maze, determined to beat him at his own game.</p><hr/><p>Almost immediately, he was dwarfed by the hedges that seemed far more menacing at night, but that alone wouldn’t deter him. Taking a few bold steps, letting his hands linger on the cold, harsh leaves of the neatly trimmed topiary, he moved forward, senses alert for any sort of noise. Nothing. Had he disappeared into thin air? Or had he already arrived?</p><p>Arthur took a left turn, a right, then another left before he heard a holler. “Artie! Ya still there?”</p><p>He had half a mind to keep his mouth quiet just to mess with him, but thought back to the distressed face Alfred had made when he’d turned away to leave him last time. “Still here,” he called. Hm. He didn’t sound close, meaning that he was probably going the wrong way. “Where are you, exactly?”</p><p>“Not telling you!” Back to his normal self again, he could hear his laugh echo. “C’mon, you kept up with me tonight, so you can keep on doing it again, I’m sure! Your old bones aren’t that achy, right?”</p><p><em>Kept up with you? Barely, </em>Arthur grumbled, fighting back an insult at Alfred’s brash piloting during their dance, which had the unfortunate side effect of making him remember how badly he wanted to lie his head against the crook of his warm neck. Would he smell the strongest there? What would it feel like? What would his scent smell like? There were so many questions left, though many had been answered tonight, enough so that he’d want to allow himself to savour that memory of running his fingers against his collarbone.</p><p>“No, Arthur, what are you thinking, you fool?” he muttered to himself, clearing his throat and trying to resume his path through the maze. Wandering for a few more minutes, he started to think that perhaps Alfred had a bit more of a mean streak than he’d taken him for before until he noticed a tiny string of blue lights, resembling fireflies, floating past a junction.</p><p>Arthur couldn’t help but gravitate towards it. Had there been such excellent fixtures in the maze, and why hadn’t they appeared up to this point? Stepping forward so that the blue lights shone in his eyes, with a slightly gaping mouth, he followed the path they set out, each light being swallowed by the darkness once he got too close. Perhaps this was some sort of magic? Alfred wasn’t particularly noted for his magical prowess; Arthur knew that from his lessons in the holding facility about the Spadian royals, but a guiding spell like this wasn’t advanced magic in any sense of the word. Was he taking pity on him...?</p><p>“Alfred?” he called out into the night, half expecting the idiot to pop out from a bush and tackle him into the floor. After no horrifying hunk of muscle appeared, he relaxed his shoulders and raised his voice. “Alfred, are <em>you </em>still here?”</p><p>“I’m almost there!” He sounded far away, which confused him. A guiding spell, done from a distance, was harder to perform, making him doubt for a moment that it was him that had cast the magic. Were they alone? Arthur paused, waiting for some camera crew or mage to appear from behind a bush. When nothing materialised, to his massive relief, he decided to continue following it anyway. Perhaps it was just fancy lighting after all.</p><p>“Er, Alfred,” he asked all the same, “Is there such a thing as blue fireflies? I believe I’ve seen a few of them here.”</p><p>“Heh, Artie, you can just ask for me to come get you instead of making up a buncha stories. You okay?”</p><p>“What, that’s – that’s not what I’m saying at all, idiot! There’s blue glowing lights around here!”</p><p>“Oh, I see,” the voice sounded closer now, “Maybe there was some work done to the maze? With all the Deciding preparations, there’s gotta be some aspect of it that I missed out. Is it bothering you?”</p><p><em>If it’s just that, then... </em>“No, not at all. In fact,” Arthur replied, moving faster. Now he’d heard Alfred’s voice closer to his, it meant that he was getting closer to the end point. “I believe it’s given me an advantage. You better pick up your pace!”</p><p>“Uh huh, uh huh.” <em>Damn that idiot, sounding so smug and dismissive at the same time! </em>“Where are ya, actually? Do you have any idea?”</p><p>“No, but...” Trailing off, he paused to examine his surroundings for another moment before advancing. “You’re close by, so I suppose I’m doing the right thing.”</p><p>“Huh?” There, closer again. Arthur let his fingers scrape against the bushes once more, hoping that somehow it would let him track his movements. “Whaddya mean by that?”</p><p>"See, not only are you the prince of Spades, and therefore know the maze very well, but-” Slapping a hand over his mouth, he barely stopped himself from blurting out that he’d wanted to see Alfred. “E-Er, knowing that, it would be most prudent to follow you.”</p><p>Wait. Seeing a flash of blue markedly different from the strange lights could only mean one thing. Was there truly only a single bush separating them?</p><p>Alfred’s voice, along with the bouncing golden tassel, confirmed his suspicions. “I mean, you don’t have to pay attention to me just ‘cause because I’m the prince, heh-”</p><p>He could see the moonlight in Arthur’s hair instantly disappear, and the sound of his footsteps digging in the dirt started to fade away again.</p><p>At the back of his head, he could hear Alfred scrambling through brambles and coarse leaves, tugging away bush after bush until there was an opening where their faces were visible to each other once more. “Hey, hey, wait up, c’mon!”</p><p>Arthur’s head turned slightly, his lips parted in a small <em>o </em>of shock. Those green eyes stood out in the dark, even amongst all the plants. He was so close; the two of them were so close, to the point where Alfred could see his flustered reflection in Arthur’s eyes.</p><p>“There you are,” Arthur panted, his thick eyebrows knotting together in triumph. “As I was saying before I was so <em>rudely interrupted</em>, if I could find you right before you went into the gazebo-”</p><p>Even if Arthur had blessedly never met the other boy, it would be impossible to recognise the smugness radiating from him. “That’s how you say it, huh! Ga-zee-bo, no wait, gazebo-”</p><p>Taking a quick glance to their right, which indicated a clear path to the building, Arthur took advantage of his distraction and made a mad dash for it, probably kicking up dirt as he did so. This time, he wasn’t able to hide his snicker as he heard him yelp, following hastily in his own footsteps. He knew, for all accounts that Alfred was faster than him, but hopefully with the minuscule advantage he’d wrenched out of his hands, he’d reach it faster.</p><p>Within a few seconds he was already scrabbling for breath, his lungs heaving with every constrained movement in his stupid slacks, nothing but a slightly unhealthy desire to best Alfred at his own game that forced him onto the pavilion ahead of him. Dragging himself up three small steps that were almost buried underneath the rose bushes, he spun around on his heel and pointed triumphantly at him. “Perhaps that’ll teach you to skip your language lessons next time!”</p><p>He wasn’t a little more than a step behind him, though. “I got it, hah, geez!” Despite his annoyed tone, he was smiling through his glasses. Wait, he wasn’t...surely he hadn’t...</p><p>“You weren’t...going easy on me, right?” Arthur queried, folding his arms. The thick air between them was filled with the sounds of their heavy breathing mingling.</p><p>Alfred looked him straight in the eyes; that surely meant he wasn’t inclined to lie. “Nope, I wasn’t. You were smarter than me! That’s all it took.”</p><p>“...” The all too familiar sting of self doubt crept into his throat, but he pushed it down. “Anyway, er...” Taking a quick seat on the wooden bench at the very back, he paused for a moment to take in the greenery around them. Bushes dotted with vibrant red and blue roses curled themselves around the railings, hanging playfully around the corners of the roof. Turning around, they let themselves slow down and enjoy the scenery. In particular, Arthur’s eyes were caught by how the moonlight reflected off the blue roses, giving them an ethereal glow.</p><p>“Like it?” Alfred was careful to come up slowly behind him, more than happy to just watch him admire the garden. Deliberately turning his body away from the bright lights of the palace, he leaned on one of the railings. “I hoped you would.”</p><p>“Is that my reward, hm?”</p><p>“Pshh, no! There’s something else you might also like,” Arthur turned around and saw both his hands stuffed inside his pockets, betraying a bashfulness that he wasn’t sure he still possessed after the events of tonight. “Y’know.”</p><p>“Another dance?”</p><p>“Maybe, when we get back! But I...uh...” Unconsciously, he pressed his thumb to his lips, telling Arthur what he needed to know. Since he was facing outwards, meaning that the large blue rose bush was obscuring most of the light, it was hard to see him clearly, but it wasn’t enough for him to pretend like he hadn’t noticed the plea for another kiss. “Y’know.”</p><p>“...Alfred,” he got up from his bench, starting to approach him.</p><p>“Hey, it’s okay if you don’t want to! I-I mean, we’ve already done stuff like that tonight, and-”</p><p>“You shouldn’t put it like <em>that</em>,” Arthur chided gently, but he touched Alfred’s arm with his hand. “There’s no need to hide under a bush, idiot. I don’t think anyone’s here.”</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>“Honestly, with all the childish fuss and noise you made,” he said, garnering a “Hey!” from him, “We would have been caught by now. So it would be nice to...at least see the person I’m spending time with.”</p><p>Latching immediately onto the remark, Alfred moved to his right, pulling him forward so they were both lit by the light flooding into the gazebo. “You mean...you wanted to see <em>my</em> handsome face, huh? It’s okay to admit it.”</p><p>He received a jab to the side in return. “<em>Can </em>it, idiot. Though, if...I-I suppose if you were to give me my reward now, I...” he looked away, blushing heavily, “I wouldn’t hate it. I suppose.”</p><p>Taking a step forward, Alfred let the base of his palm press over Arthur’s lips, causing him to close the right of his eye instinctively. Caressing his cheek with his thumb, he let it join the rest of his fingers as he moved inwards, stopping just short of Arthur’s nose.</p><p>“Are you okay with this?” he murmured shyly, bumping noses with him.</p><p><em>We were so caught up with the illicitness of the actions in the ballroom that we didn’t have time to realise how vulnerable the two of us were with each other, </em>Arthur thought as both of Alfred’s hands rested just above his hips, tugging him close. <em>Now we’re alone, I can’t help but feel like a foolish lovesick schoolgirl, because there’s nowhere else to hide my – our – feelings.</em></p><p>Taking his silence for disapproval, Alfred blundered. “I mean...what I meant to say is that, uh...!”</p><p>His blue eyes watched in surprise when Arthur’s hands went to his wrists, pulling him closer, saying what he wasn’t brave enough to speak out loud. Their eyes met; similarly to when they’d caught a glance of each other amongst the hedges, yet coupled with their skin to skin contact, it felt more heightened, more sensitive.</p><p>Placing his hands over his shoulders, Arthur gingerly rose up on his heels and stepped forward into the kiss.</p><p>Alfred’s mouth was warm and wet, soothing his slightly cold lips, causing him to lose control and let slip a soft gasp of satisfaction. For a moment, the heavy jackets and constricting suit pants seemed to slip away, propriety and decorum loosening their grip, allowing them to indulge in each other’s company in a fashion resembling that of sweethearts.</p><p>It was chaste, but definitely better than the sloppy, messy one they’d shared hours ago in the ballroom. He wasn’t confident in many things, that was for sure, but at least he felt his skill was improving gradually. The same went for Alfred, yet the thought of kissing him enough times to be able to gauge how much he’d improved was an <em>incredibly </em>treacherous thought.</p><p><em>I’d like to do it again. No, absolutely not. Stop thinking of something as wanton as that. It’s only because the two of you are alone, it’s only because of...</em> Arthur scolded himself fiercely as they parted for air, only to look away because of how intently Alfred was watching his expression.</p><p>“Did you...did you like it?” he said, sounding slightly out of breath. “Your reward, I mean. Was it – was it nice? Did you want more?”</p><p>“You must be aware that I didn’t <em>need </em>one, spending time with you was enough,” Arthur admitted, not daring to look back at him now he was being honest for a change. “There’s no need to stack it up like an item.”</p><p>“Like in a game? Or a comic book? Ooh, even a movie!”</p><p>“No, you idiot,” he laughed. Missing how Alfred grinned along with him, he continued on. “As much as I’m fond of er, movies, I won’t say so. I’m just saying that there’s no need to force these things, I suppose they come naturally. What? There’s no need to sound so smug, I’m certain I don’t know more than you do.”</p><p>“But that was good advice! Seriously. Have some more confidence in yourself, ‘k?” Pulling back his sleeve, he checked his watch. “Should we get going back?”</p><p>Nodding, Arthur followed him back into the maze, and that was the end of the conversation, until he felt Arthur’s fingers grip his shoulders again. “Artie...?”</p><p><em>Here goes nothing. </em>“T-Thank you,” he stammered, folding his arms defensively as he made himself maintain eye contact with him. “You should have just sent me back into the ballroom, but instead you went out of your way to accommodate me. Not to mention this place,” he gestured at the arching roof sheltering them from the eyes of the world. “I never thought I’d be able to see it in real life, and, well, the...”</p><p>“Yeah?” Alfred said, leaning in and pressing their foreheads together, so that he couldn’t miss the happiness in his eyes. The sky was lightening behind them, causing the blue to stand out even more.</p><p>“You’re too <em>close</em>!” Arthur exclaimed, nudging him with his forehead that was only softened by his fringe, continuing to walk. “A-Anyway, idiot, as I was saying, the, er, <em>thing </em>we just did was, well...oi, stop looking so smug!”</p><p>“The way you’re wording it is, y’know, really cute, so you can’t expect me <em>not </em>to! I’m the only one who’s seen something as wonderful as this, yeah? You liked it, right?” He never got a direct answer, but from the way the other boy looked away, the tips of his pink ears visible in the light of the early hours of the morning, he got an answer.</p><p>“What I’m trying to <em>say </em>is that...very...very well, I did,” Arthur huffed, directing his gaze to the most eye catching thing he could find, it being Alfred’s watch. It had been forty five minutes, almost an hour, and they really should be going back, but he knew that if he turned heel and strode away, he’d never garner the courage that Alfred had given him tonight for a very long time. “I enjoy my time spent with you, all right? Is that so wrong?”</p><p>“Then...why do you want to hide it so much? Is it because of how the others treat you?”</p><p>“Partly, yes,” he admitted, “From my previous studies, I was aware that things like these were going to happen in every Deciding, but I’d prefer to avoid them. Not to mention, I’m frankly awful at this romantic stuff.”</p><p>Alfred made a shrugging motion with his shoulders, as if it didn’t matter too much, which was preposterous. Why have <em>him</em>, the prickly, hard to understand Arthur Kirkland, the person who wouldn’t stop putting up walls where he could and only having his education in terms of connections, when someone like Alfred could have anyone at all?</p><p>“Hey, Artie, you keep on saying that, but what I said the other night still hasn’t changed. No one’s forcing me to do anything, and heck even if someone tried,”</p><p>“Good luck with that,” he couldn't resist a snort.</p><p>“Yeah, exactly! As a hero’s, that’s one of my strong traits!”</p><p>Before he could stop himself, Arthur blurted out what he was thinking, “You seem to have an awful lot of those,” he muttered under his breath, freezing when he realised what he’d just confessed to. “Er, I mean...”</p><p>“H-Heh, I guess,” Alfred replied quickly, too quickly, though by the slight tremor that ran through his body he’d noticed. “Uh, uh, anyway! You’re really not, okay? I enjoy spending time with you lots, and there’s always something to do together. And, y’know...it would be nice if we could hang out more,” <em>Hang out? You’re making it sound as if this competition doesn’t determine the fate of Spades, Your Highness. </em>“But with the Deciding and everything, I get that it’s complicated, with so many people.”</p><p><em>Then again, he’s just too kind to request I put in some more effort for his sake. </em>The darkness of the early morning really gave him no space to hide his own thoughts, either. <em>So he can read the atmosphere after all...</em></p><p>“I’m gonna be...considering an elimination. After the Meeting ends, formally,” Alfred said, something that made Arthur’s green eyes dart from the exquisite blue roses to his face. “Goes kinda without saying that you won’t tell anyone.”</p><p>“Y-Yes.” Detesting the worry clenching his heart, Arthur made himself take another breath, watching it billow out in the cold morning as they came to stop underneath the arch that led to the entrance of the maze. “Of course.”</p><p>“I just wanted to reassure you that I didn’t, not even for a second, think about putting you on that list of names,” he said, as if he’d noticed his panic. “Though I’m not a poet or super good with words like you are for sure, I hope to at least make it easier for you to get what I’m feeling more of the time. Does, uh, that, uh, make sense? In – in private, of course. I completely get if you wanna keep on keeping it on the down low.”</p><p>It clearly was a lot of effort for the prince to admit his flaws out loud, that little Arthur understood. He would had loved nothing more but to sit behind his walls and not have to worry about sacrificing his heart, but everything Alfred did, piece by piece, made him want to slowly lower his guard and meet him in the middle.</p><p>“I hope to give you more clarity about myself in the future,” Arthur whispered, allowing himself to press into Alfred’s body, allowing the magic of the dawn to wash over them. “Your Highness.”</p><hr/><p>“Go back to the party soon, you’ll be missed.” They’d just returned to Arthur’s room; once they’d noticed the coast was clear he quickly let Alfred into the hallway as a last minute goodbye. “Promise me you won’t dillydally.”</p><p>“Hero’s honour! Though, what’s a dillydally?” Even when asking such silly questions, Alfred was cute with his vacant expression. It was bitterly unfair.</p><p>“...Never mind. Goodnight, Your High-” It took every ounce of self control to not pinch the pout off of his face. “-Ergh, fine. Alfred.”</p><p>“Goodnight, Arthur! Sweet dreams,” he sang, reaching out for his left hand and giving it a quick peck, frowning at how cold it was despite him wearing his gloves. “Get nice and cosy, okay?”</p><p>Before he could respond, the prince had shot off into the corridor and back out towards the main party. Thankfully, that meant that he couldn’t see Arthur watch pathetically from the crack in his door, watching as his blue and gold finery disappeared down the hallway before closing the door.</p><p>Pressing himself against the back of his door, he attempted to process his thoughts once again. The walkway, strung with marble pillars. The maze, and Alfred’s laughter within it. The gazebo, the blue and red roses, and Alfred’s warmth against his.</p><p>“Arthur, you idiot, what are you doing?” he lamented, knocking his fist against his forehead. He couldn’t be softened by one person so much. It simply didn’t happen to him.</p><p>Hurriedly opening his desk and retrieving a pen, he started writing what was a long overdue letter on a fresh sheet of parchment.</p><p>“<em>Dear Kiku,</em></p><p><em>How do you know whether you’re falling in love with someone?</em>”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Please leave your thoughts on this chapter/fic! 'd dearly love to know what you think, and it's a huge motivator for me - I treasure every comment I get.</p>
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